Fallen Angel
by Cereal92
Summary: All Aoi wanted was a family to care for her and appreciate her for who she was. Except, she didn't know who her real self was. Rated T because I'm paranoid. There may be a pair later on
1. Prologue

**A/N**: this is the edited version of my intro. I had some grammer mistakes, so I asked a friend of mine (who requested to stay anonymous) to edit it for me. She edited the rest of my chapters and will probably be editing all of them all the way up to my final chapter. Lets give her a round of applause! So if this shows up in your subscription boxes (or whatever) this is not a new chapter but an edited chapter. I'm sorry, but to make up for it, I quickly write my next chapter. School has just started so it's rather hard to find time to upload and edit and so please don't get mad at me!

**Disclaimer**: Don't own anyone except Aoi/Atsushi and the father. Rest belongs to Hattori Bisco.

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><p>It was late. Dark. Cold.<p>

Nawamura Aoi marveled at the view outside from the twenty-second floor of her Tokyo apartment. Her gaze never stayed on one thing too long, quickly switching from the buildings, to cars, and passerbys, or what she thought were passerbys; they didnt look much bigger than ants. Leaning her forehead on the cool glass, she closed her dark brown eyes and sighed. She was having a major headache.

"What a wonderful world..."

Aoi groaned quietly. Who right in their mind would be calling this late at night? She ignored her cellphone, much too lazy to walk over to the counter and answer it. The ringing stopped, only to be followed a chime coming from her cherry red rotary phone from the coffee table behind her. Aoi cursed silently and walked towards the table. She sank into her brown corner sofa and picked up the rotary phone and placed it in her lap. Trying hard to ignore the temptation the throw it across the room, she picked up the handset and asked lazily, "Moshimoshi?"

A deep, gruff voice replied impatiently. "Please answer the phone quickly. I'm very busy."

Her eyes popped open, making her look like a fish. "Otousan?"

Aoi grimaced. Whenever her father talked to her, it always had something to do with helping his business. He asked her to pretend to be a boy, for he believed in having a boy to succeed the family business. Aoi just happened to be the oldest child, so her father decided to cross dress her. She had then been known as Nawamura Atsushi ever since elementary school. He then sent her away to live by herself to make her "independent", but she personally thought he did so because he thought she was a pest. So, she had been living alone ever since middle school, having someone occasionally coming to check on her, making sure she's okay.

"Why are you calling me?" she asked her voice icy and seeping with hatred.

Her father either didn't notice her obvious irritation, or he ignored it. "You are transferring to Ouran High School. Many of my business acquaintances' children go to school there. Business hasn't been too good, so I want you to make a good impression on their kids."

"Why? It's in the middle of the school year!"

He ignored her again. "Expect a package tomorrow. You start school Monday."

"Wait, Outou-"

Click.  
>"San..." She stared intently at the Western Electric Model 500 rotary phone before looking up and closing her eyes. She breathed deeply, forcing herself to calm down. It had been this way her whole life, her parents never talking to her in person, even when they lived in the same house.<p>

"Ouran Highschool, huh..."


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N**: (view author's note in previous chapter)

**Disclaimer**: Dont own anyone except Atsushi/Aoi. Rest belongs to Bisco Hattori

* * *

><p>Atsushi walked slowly up the red, velvet stairs, loosely holding a map of Ouran High School. He looked around, admiring the fancy carvings and paintings along the wall. His blue school uniform was slightly wrinkled from running around the school earlier that morning, trying to find his classroom. Now that is was break, he was looking around, exploring the massive elite private school.<p>

"Let's see… Where am I?" he asked himself, holding up a wrinkled map. He stared intently at it. "I'm on the stairs, but where is it on the map? There's about five of them on this map, and this is just the high school section!" He sighed and decided to abandon the map and just look around for himself. Atsushi trudged up the stairs, and looked out the window. Outside it was autumn, at the point where it was clinging onto summer just enough so that the leaves aren't falling, but it wasn't very hot.

Atsushi's ears picked up some noise in the door at the far right. He stared and wondered, "What's going on in there? Sounds like a party." He walked straight ahead and faced the double doors. When he opened it, rose petals floated out of the door and engulfed him in a sweet smell and lured him inside, only to be blinded by a brilliant light.

"Welcome."

He looked up and saw six shadowy figures surrounding someone sitting in a chair.

"Ouran Private Academy is defined by one, prestigious families, two, wealth and three, prosperous people who have much time on their hands. Therefore, this Ouran host club is about these handsome guys who have time giving hospitality to lovely ladies who also have time and profit off them. It's an elegant game unique to this super-rich school."

Atsushi gawked at them. "Did I hear you right? Host club?"

"Oh, look, it's just a boy," two identical looking boys said at the same time.

"I believe that boy is named Nawamura Atsushi, the successor of the Nawamura Corporations. He is 15, his birthday is July twenty-first, his star sign is Cancer, blood type is A, has one younger sister named Rita, and he is supposed to be in your class, isn't he Hikaru, Kaoru?"

"That's also my class Kyoya-sempai," grumbled a boy with brown hair.

"Wow Kyo-chan! You know so much about him! Nee, Takashi?" a little boy who looked about the age of seven exclaimed.

"Mmm," replied who Atsushi guessed was Takashi.

"Well then, hello there Atsushi-san! I am Suoh Tamaki, but everyone calls me "King."

"Liar," the twins said at the same time.  
>"Tamaki-sempai, where's the instant coffee?" the brown-haired guy asked from the other side of the room.<p>

"Tama-chan, can I have more cake?" asked the young blonde boy.

Takashi cried when nobody called him "King" and sulked in the corner.

Atsushi raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is he okay?"

One of the twins just said nonchalantly, "Oh don't worry about the Lord, he's always like that."

The brown-haired boy offered him some coffee and said, "Sorry to bother you like that Nawamura-san. I'm Fujioka Haruhi; the twins are Hitachiin Hikaru and Kaoru. The one with glasses is Ootori Kyoya. The tall one is Morinozuka Takashi, and standing next to him is Haninozuka Mitsukuni. But we just call them Mori-sempai and Honey-sempai."

"Honey-sempai? He doesn't look much older than seven," replied Atsushi, confused.

"It's complicated."

Atsushi brushed away his shoulder-length hair as he turned to face the door. "I guess I'll better be going now–"

Then he heard some weird sounds coming from under the floor. Then, in the middle of the room, a platform came out of a hidden hatch in the floor. There was a girl sitting in a chair on the platform, giggling.

Atsushi took one step backward in precaution, not believing what he was seeing.

"RENGE-SAN?" the host club exclaimed.

"How does she have so much time _to do _these things…?" Haruhi asked no one in particular.

"I have been waiting for this day!" Renge said excitedly. She pointed her finger at Atsushi and said, "You are what the Host Club needs most! The Fallen Angel!"

"The Fallen Angel? What's that supposed to mean?" Atsushi asked.

"I'm going to make you the weak, banished child who wants nothing but love. You are shy and mysterious, yet you have a dark side. Every girl imagines having someone like that as a boyfriend you know." She sighed dreamily.

"Hey Otaku, isn't that exactly like Mori-sempai?" the Hitachiin twins asked.

Renge stared at them with eyes like daggers, and her hair suddenly turned into snakes, like Medusa, and chased after them, arms outstretched.

_Is she… sane?_ Atsushi thought to himself, becoming rather scared of the brunette.

Tamaki jumped from his corner and declared, "That is a MAGNIFICENT idea, Renge-san!"

Atsushi raised his eyebrows. The "King" was quick to recover.

"Atsushi-san!" Tamaki called out to Atsushi.

"Yes?"

"You are now a Host Club member!"

"WHAT?" the rest of the Host Club members and Atsushi cried out.

Tamaki struck a dramatic pose and said confidently, "I can see it; you will be sympathetic, but prone to self-pity. It'll help if you're pessimistic too, and moody. Oh, and very secretive, yes, yes, very secretive," he paused then shouted, "Hikaru, Kaoru!"

"Yes!"

"Give Atsushi a make over!"

"Yes, sir!" They saluted and grabbed Atsushi under the armpits and dragged him towards the dressing room.

"Hey, hey, where you taking me? Let me go, LET ME GO!" Atsushi tried to break free, but he was no match for the Hitachiin Twins.

When the Hitachiin twins were done with him, he looked completely different. Before, he looked neat and tidy, his jacket buttoned up all the way and his tie snug around his neck. Now, his jacket was unbuttoned all the way, his tie loose and his shirt had few loose buttons. He wore a necklace with a cross on it (which the twins magically conjured out of nowhere.) Kaoru tried to mess up his hair a bit, but since Atsushi's hair was rather long, it was hard to do. So, they made him cover up his face a bit with his hair instead. His right arm was bandaged all the way up to his elbow, and tucked messily under the sleeves.

"I look and feel ridiculous," Atsushi mumbled unhappily.

"What? You don't trust us? We're pros!" the Hitachiin twins said defensively.

Atsushi brought his right hand up to move his hair back. "Stop kidding yourself."

"But I think Atsu-chan is very cool!" Honey-sempai said encouragingly. "Don't you agree Takashi?"

"Uh..." Takashi replied.

"Ohh! That's perfect you two!" Renge shouted excitedly. Everyone jumped at her voice; they almost forgot she was there.

"Now, let's work on your behavior!"

(After one hour)

"Oh! My best masterpiece! Well, I guess I'm not needed here anymore!" declared Renge as she sunk back into the floor, laughing to herself.

"Do I really have to stay in the Host Club?" questioned Atsushi.

"Of course, Nawamura-san!" Takashi sang happily.

"We might get more customers and have more profit," Kyoya said thoughtfully.

"That's Kyoya-sempai, always thinking about money," Haruhi said wearily.

"We won't forgive you if you don't, and we're in the same class as you Atsushi-kun, so choose carefully," the Hitachiin twins said mischievously.

"Atsu-chan? Do you not enjoy the Host Club?" Honey said with tearful eyes.

Mori said nothing, as always.

Atsushi looked at them, and thought about it for a second. They were a nice bunch, even if they were a bit unpredictable. And it was a good chance to make new friends at this school. It also might help his father's business which would make him proud and appreciative of him, something he had wanted for a very long time. Atsushi stared at them and smiled a bit.

"I'll join."


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N**: (view author's note in the prologue)

**Disclaimer**: Dont own anyone except Atsushi/Aoi. Rest belongs to Bisco Hattori

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><p>Atsushi was already starting to regret his choice. If he had known the girls at Ouran High School Academy were a bunch of hysterical ninnies, he probably would have joined the track team, or the photography club, or even the newspaper club!<p>

"Ah, Atsushi-san, why did you join the Host Club?"

Atsushi looked at his twentieth guest of the day: a brunette and a blonde whose names he had already forgotten. He had his chin propped up by his hand; his bandaged one to be specific. He carefully chose his words, since the Host Club wouldn't appreciate it if he said something wrong or out of character. "I believe being a host offsets the deprivation and loneliness of my youth."

They looked at him funny, then starting talking among themselves. "Do you know what he said?"

"No, but it doesn't matter since because he looks so cool!"

"Yes, that's true isn't it?" The two overly-excited girls shrieked happily. They clasped hands, started jumping up and down and kept sneaking looks at the new Host Club member.

"Could you please stop staring? It's rather unnerving," Atsushi said while looking out the window. _Renge's training is really kicking in now, isn't it? _he thought.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Atsushi-san!" they both apologized, embarrassed to be caught.

Atsushi finally faced them again, smiled and said, "It's fine. If you have something to say to me, you can just say it. No need to be afraid."

"Ahhhh!"

"He's so cool!"

Atsushi rolled his eyes inwardly.

"How's our new member doing so far?" asked a familiar voice behind Atsushi. He turned around and came face to face with the Hitachiin twins.

"This is terrible," he whispered under his breath, so that the girls won't hear him.

"Really? It's that bad?"

The girls looked over at the boys curiously, and Hikaru just waved. They blushed and talked among themselves again.

"What's your act, anyways?" Atsushi inquired.

They grinned and said, "Forbidden brotherly love."

Atsushi stared at them, looking amused, and asked, "You're kidding right?"

The twins pretended to look offended, and Hikaru exclaimed, "Of course not!"

Kaoru said, "Since were brothers, it makes it taboo, and it's even more exciting since we're twins!"

Atsushi was disgusted. "So technically, you guys are homosexual."

"NO! It is just an act!"

Atsushi raised an eyebrow. "Right…"

"Atsushi-san? Would you like some cake?" the brunette interrupted, holding out a piece of cheesecake.

"Um, no thank you; I'm a vegan."

"Oh, okay. Well then, Atsushi-san. What types of girls do you prefer?"

He jerked his head towards her. "Excuse me?"

The brunette blushed, and the redhead continued for her. "Well, it's always nice to know what they prefer, so that we girls can become that special person."

Atsushi didn't know what to say. "Uh, well… I don't really have a preferred type."

Both of the girls looked up, their eyes twinkling. "Does that mean anyone is okay for you?"

"I didn't mean that either." He sighed as he thought about what he should say. "I don't think I'm ready for romance yet. To be honest, I'm much more worried about my father's business, and how to become ready to be the next person to own Nawamura Corporations. Besides," he stared at them and smiled, "Loneliness is the universal problem of rich people."

The girls once again stared at him strangely. Then the brunette slammed her hands on the table and asked, "May we come again tomorrow?"

Atsushi nearly jumped out of his chair in surprise and replied, "O-of course you may. No one said you couldn't."

She stared at her friend and said, "Let's go Ayano. We're going to come tomorrow and prepare ourselves!"

"Prepare yourselves…?" Atsushi asked.

But the girls were gone and out of there. He sighed. Each conversation was an exact copy of the one before, the girls always leaving early so that they can tell their friends about the new host, the "Fallen Angel"." It was becoming rather boring already.

"How was it Atsushi-san?"

He turned around and saw Kyoya scribbling something in his notebook.

"Hard."

"Oh, don't worry. You'll get used to it. And, besides, at this rate, we're most likely going to get 5% more profit than we used to seeing how popular you are with the girls."

"Isn't that nice?" Atushi asked sarcastically.

Kyoya pretended not to hear him. "Can you not have the same conversations with all the girls over and over again? Even I was becoming bored."

"It isn't my fault," he grumbled.

Kyoya finished what he was writing in his notebook and looked at him for a split-second before walking back to his table.

Atsushi started to get out of his chair, stretching, when Honey-sempai ran over to him (more like jumping over to him) asking, "Atsu-chan! Do you want to eat cake with me?"

"No thank you, Honey-sempai. I need to go home and clean up."

"Oh, okay. Then see you tomorrow!" he smiled and went to someone else, the stuffed to rabbit bouncing along with him in his arms.

The tired, weary host trudged towards the front door when a girlish voice stopped him. "Atsushi-san? Where are you going?"

"I'm feeling a little tired, so I'm going home."

"Oh, okay. Then see you tomorrow."

"Bye."

He pushed the doors open and walked out of the room.

VvV

Aoi walked inside her apartment and dropped onto her sofa. Thinking back to the Host Club, she smiled. There was the Princely Tamaki, the Cool Kyoya, the Strong and Silent Takeshi, The Loli-Shota Honey, the Devil Twins, and the Natural Haruhi. Clasping her hands together she said to no one in particular, "This is going to be interesting."


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N**: (view author's note in the prologue)

**Disclaimer**: Dont own anyone except Atsushi/Aoi. Rest belongs to Bisco Hattori

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><p>After Atsushi left the day before, the Host Club debated whether or not to tell him Haruhi is a girl.<p>

"He's going to find out anyways," the twins said shrugging.

"But what if he reveals the secret to everyone? I won't be able to spend any time with my daughter!" Tamaki cried.

"Since when was it a secret?" Haruhi asked.

Everyone ignored her, of course.

They thought for a while, until Kyoya said, "Sorry to interrupt your thinking, but isn't he part of the host club? We forced him to join, so he deserves to know this much."

"But Mommy!" Tamaki cried unhappily. "We don't know if we can trust him!"

"Then we'll threaten him!" the twins said evilly, pushing their sleeves up to their shoulders.

"I don't think Atsu-chan is that kind of person," Honey-sempai said quietly.

Everyone turned to face Honey-sempai.

"You see, when he started working yesterday I looked at his face, and he looked a bit like a girl. I think he's a cross dresser like Haruhi. He won't reveal such a big secret of someone who is like him."

"He's not a cross-dresser." the twins said, crossing their arms so it formed a huge X. "He takes P.E."

Everyone stared at the twins. "How do you know that? You don't even take P.E."

"Guys, it doesn't matter whether he tells everyone I'm a girl or not." Haruhi said.

"Ahhh, don't say that Haruhi! Mommy! Haruhi said something bad!" Tamaki yelled, grabbing onto her shoulders.

"Sempai, please stop sexually harassing me."

Tamaki hid into his corner of woe.

"Well, I guess we'll tell him," the twins said carelessly. "Besides, we are in his class."

"There's no way in hell you'll be telling the secret to him! You'll ruin it! No, instead, just make him come over to the Music Room early. We'll tell him the secret together," Tamaki declared.

"Okay, as you wish milord."

VvV

Atsushi sank into his chair right next to a window. There was a bird, sitting on the tree. Atsushi thought, 'Fly bird. You have wings, use them. Don't get trapped into an impossible situation. Like me.'

"Oi, Atsushi!"

He looked around and saw the Hitachiin twins standing in front of him.  
>"We have a secret we want to tell you."<p>

"Oh goodie. I love secrets," he answered, disinterested.

"Stop being so sarcastic. This secret's important!"

"To be honest, even though I've known you for less than a day, I don't think anything important can come from your mouths."

"Oi, Haruhi! Can you tell him the message from milord?"

Haruhi looked up from the book she was reading, and walked over to the boys. "Atsushi-san, Tamaki-sempai, wants you to come early to the Host Club today because he has something important to tell you."

"Oh... So this was your secret?" he asked while looking at the twins out of the corner of his eye.

"That wasn't our secret!"

VvV

"Is there something you want with me, Suoh-sempai?" Atsushi stepped into the room, brushing away all the rose petals that blew into his face. And then he saw the clothes they were dressed in. "What are you wearing?"

"Oh, do not be afraid. These are called hanboks, traditional Korean clothes. They are beautiful, aren't they?"

"Well, yeah, I guess so."

Tamaki started hugging Atsushi tightly and squealed, "Mommy, he said I looked good!"

"No, he didn't just say that," Hikaru said, picking his ear.

"Yeah, there's no way he said that the milord looked good," Kaoru agreed.

Tamaki curled up into a ball and hid into the corner.

"Anyways, we have a very important secret we want to tell you," Kyoya said.

"This wasn't the secret? That you guys played dress up?"

"Of course not!"

Atsushi blinked, then asked, "Well then, what's the secret?"

"Well, my soon-to-be-enlightened friend. That is a very good question!" Tamaki said, jumping out from his corner of woe.

"Well you see Atsu-chan..." Honey-sempai started to explain, and then stopped.

"Uh... This is kind of hard to say..." Hikaru began to say.

"Well, Haruhi is..." Kaoru hesitated.

They all stammered, not able to say the secret.

"Look, if it's not important enough for you guys not to tell me, may I go?" Atsushi questioned.

Right then, Haruhi walked into the room. Looking up, he said, "I'm guessing you know my secret."

He cocked his head and looked irritably at the Host Club members. "Actually, I don't."

Haruhi looked at him and asked curiously, "They didn't tell you that I'm actually a girl?"

"Ahhh! HARUHI! Why did you tell him your secret!" Tamaki yelled.

"I thought we decided we were going to tell him."

Atsushi was shocked. He stared at Haruhi, laughed nervously said, "It's not a joke, is it?"

"Why ask when you already know the answer?" Kyoya asked.

Atsushi looked at all the faces of the various Host Club members before asking, "Uh, Fujioka-san. Why are you cross-dressing?"

Haruhi opened her mouth, but was cut off by Kyoya. "She owes us 8 million yen. In order to pay it off she agreed to work as a host."

"Why does she owe you eight million yen?"

Again, Haruhi was about to answer, but the twins interrupted, saying, "She broke our vase that could have been auctioned off for eight million yen."

Atsushi nodded, his mouth forming an "O", then he cocked his head and asked, "Doesn't she have enough money to pay off eight million yen? It won't hurt the family fortune that much."

Haruhi quickly said, "I got here because I had a scholarship," the same time Tamaki said, "She got here because she had a scholarship."

Atsushi raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Haruhi glared at the other Host Club members, before saying, "I'm a scholarship student."

He blushed furiously, before apologizing. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

The rest of the day went by without any troubles. They said their good byes and went home.

VvV

"So Fujioka-san is a cross-dresser, like me." Aoi sat in her bed, deep in thought. "It's becoming very exciting, this Host Club..."


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N**: (view author's note in the prologue)

**Disclaimer**: Dont own anyone except Atsushi/Aoi. Rest belongs to Bisco Hattori

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><p>"Well then, moving onto the next thing on our agenda, I would like to discuss the special activity for next week," the representative of class 1-A Kazukiyo Souga announced.<p>

"Special activity?" Haruhi asked.

"For Halloween," Hikaru said.

"Haruhi-kun, you only came here after middle school as a special student, so you probably won't know about this. At Ouran, coinciding with the grading of the in-school mock exams, all classes are cancelled every year from now to the end of October. We are given permission to organize masquerades on campus," the vice-rep. Kurakano Momoka said kindly.

"And, to promote class bonding, we are allowed to use an entire day for a class event," continued Souga.

Atsushi's usually closed eyes opened and stared at the representative and vice representative. _Ouran has these sorts of events too?_

"Events..?" Haruhi asked.

Kaoru explained, "Well, most of the time-"  
>"-we just have tea parties or watch movies," Hikaru finished for him.<p>

"Not enough! Not enough! NOT ENOUGH, I say!" Renge jumped onto Haruhi's desk. "Halloween! A day that declares the end of summer and the beginning of winter!" She spread her arms out wide and said, "Halloween! A day where humans disguise themselves with the same look as visiting ghosts and devils! Halloween! A day that has become a festival of costumes and tricks!" Renge shouted.

Atsushi laughed quietly. Renge knew how to make him laugh; she was just so ridiculous.

"Even without the permission for costume parties," Hikaru said.

"There's someone that is cosplaying all year long," Kaoru finished for him. Haruhi shook her head in agreement.

"What's that uniform?" Haruhi asked.

Atsushi looked at Renge's uniform. It had a pink skirt. Her shirt was white, and had pink cuffs and collar. She wore a pink bow in her hair.  
>Atsushi propped up his face with his bandaged hand.<em> You have to be kidding me Renge,<em> he thought.

"This is nothing to keep secret! Due to come out next year, this is UkiDoki! Memorial 2's school uniform for female characters!"

Atsushi nearly fell out of his chair laughing. Nobody paid him any attention.

"With unreleased information, I went ahead and made this outfit," Renge said.

The president walked over to Renge and said, "Um, Houshakuji-san. We're still in our homeroom session. Please get off the desk."

She paid him no attention and continued. "Cosplaying and having tea parties, we do that every day in the host club. What is Halloween," she brought her hands up to her face and her eyes sparkled, "if the excitement doesn't exceed our daily activities, right?" she twirled around on the table.

Souga held one hand up and said uneasily, "Well, this is a class event."

Renge ignored him again and said excitedly, "And right now, I propose the Halloween special, the Fear Trial Tournament to you all!" she held up her finger in the air.

Atsushi smiled and thought, _Not bad Renge. Not bad at all_. He stared at the president, who was sweating a river.

Renge continued. "We'll ask the superintendent if we can open the halls at night, so we can take turns scaring each other." She held her head up high and said enthusiastically, "And that is a lovely UkiDoki communication!"

Atsushi tuned out of the conversation, and stared out the window. "I hope it's exhilarating," he said to himself.

"For those who chicken out in the middle, we'll take up a whole page of the school newspaper and call them "Minister of Cowards," Hikaru said slyly.

Atsushi stared at the president in the front of the room to see how he'll take it. President Souga was sweating like he was in the Safari.

Everyone raised their hand and yelled, "Agreed!"

Atsushi didn't raise his hand, but he stared amusedly at the president.

Kazukiyo-san quickly composed himself and asked, "Well then, In the presence of this highly lopsided majority, is there anyone against this proposal?" He stared right at a zoning out Haruhi. "Is there ANYONE against this proposal?"

Atsushi laughed silently to himself. _Poor guy. He's obviously sending signals to the oh-so ignorant Haruhi isn't he? Good luck president,_ Atsushi thought.

Then, Kazukiyo looked straight at Atsushi. "Is there really NO ONE against this?"

_He is aiming for me now? He must really be desperate._ Atsushi smiled at the class president but said nothing. _Too bad Kazukiyo-san. I love horror._

"Well then, the class event for 1-A... Will be the proposal from Housakuji-San... Halloween Special Fear Trial," he said weakly.

The whole class cheered.

VvV

Hikaru, Kaoru, Atsushi, and Haruhi walked into the Third Music Room.

"Hello~" The twins greeted the Host Club members, dragging Haruhi along with them. Atsushi trailed behind, watching from a distance.

"You guys are late. Hurry up and change," Tamaki said, while holding a girl in his hands, in position to bite her neck.

"Ah, until Halloween's over-" Hikaru started to say.

"-We're taking a break from club activities," Kaoru finished for him.

"Have fun," they said in sync.

"What?"

"Why?" Honey asked.

"We have a class event on the day of Halloween, and we're busy preparing for that," the Hitachiin twins said.

"It can't be helped then," Kyoya said from behind them.

"So yeah, we thought we'd let you know."

"Good luck!" Honey said happily, waving at them.

"Wait, Wait! Why are you taking Haruhi away?" Tamaki asked.

"Because Haruhi's in the same class as we are," Hikaru said evilly.

"We'll be doing a special fear trial tournament at night on campus," Kaoru said just as evilly.

Tamaki put on a shocked face and sad weakly, "Campus… at night?" He started imagining things, and said unhappily, "Haruhi… are you seriously thinking about participating, in such a dreadful midnight event?"

"Well, I think class bonding is important, too," she answered.

"Bonding… Bonding you say?" He crouched over, hands held to his face, then stood up and moaned to himself, "What type of bonding… In… decent… kind…" He panicked and put his hand on Haruhi's shoulders and yelled, "I will not allow my child to play outside at night! Daddy… Daddy won't allow it!"

Atsushi stared at Tamaki. Is this… love?

"Then, shall we go Haruhi?" Hikaru asked.

They grabbed her by the shoulders and greeted, "Adieu."

"Hey, wait, wait! Let me join that event too!" He finally noticed Atsushi in the shadows. He ran towards him and asked, "You're in their class too right? Make Haruhi not participate! Please, for both our sakes!"

"No." Atsushi walked out the door, following the twins and Haruhi.

VvV

The following day they discussed how they were going to stay within the budget.

"We can follow the commoner rule. Everything has to be fewer than 300 yen."

Atsushi sat next to Haruhi, staring out of the window. Only after a while did he notice Haruhi's absence.

"Where did Haruhi go?" he asked the twins.

They shrugged and looked around, finally finding her outside of the classroom, talking in low voices with Kazukiyo Souga.

The twins leaned in closer and started eavesdropping.

"Fear of ghost stories, fear of suddenly getting scared from behind, and fear of TV commercials about horror movies. What is it with those, anyway? I really do not like them airing those segments without any warning. What became of the rights of cowards?" they heard the president saying. The twins and Atsushi snickered.

"Besides, every other class is doing a tea party, yet everyone in our class wantsto do a fear trial? It's fall already! I don't get it!" Souga started yelling loudly, and Haruhi seemed to be saying something, but they couldn't hear her over Souga's voice.

"You should've raised your objection if you didn't like this. If you said it as the class president, everyone would…" Haruhi told him.

"Saying it like that, it's like I'm abusing my powers as class president, and I didn't want that! That's why I was asking for help! From you, Fujioka!"

Atsushi understood immediately and snickered.

"Why are you laughing?" Hikaru asked him.

"Kazukiyo-san was sending signals to Fujioka-san to tell her to object to the Halloween Special Fear Trial. Poor boy, she was zoning out the whole time and didn't even notice!"

They all laughed quietly and faced the two again.

"If even one person objects, we could've sent it to a discussion," he said weakly.

"Uh, sorry, I completely didn't notice."

"I beg of you Fujioka! Join my group tomorrow! Somehow, I think if I could stay beside you, your calmness would rub off me, too! Oh, and please keep this a secret from Hikaru and Kaoru-"

"Hmmm… Rep., you're a coward, huh?" the twins asked casually.

_I didn't even notice them leave my side…_ Atsushi thought.

The Class Representative sat still for a while, then shrieked and jumped to the window, yelling and clawing the window.

"There you are."

The five of them turned around and saw the vice president standing behind them. "I'm asking around for your groups."

Hikaru and Kaoru quickly grabbed Haruhi and Souga by the arm and yelled, "HAI! Us four together as a group!"

"Okay, you four are in Team B." She looked over at Atsushi. "What about you, Atsushi-kun? You're the only person left who isn't in a group, so you have a free choice since everyone else is in groups of four."

"Ah, well I choose —"

"He's also in our group!" the twins chirruped. Then they faced Souga and said maliciously, "Let's do our best, Class Rep.!"

Atsushi smiled and said, "I choose this group, Kurakano-san."

She wrote on the clipboard and replied, "Roger!"

VvV

Ouran High School was very scary at night, especially with all the decorations. There were jack-o-lanterns hanging on strings of light, and they were all over the place inside the school; on the chandeliers, staircases, everywhere!

Atsushi looked at the rep. and couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He looked terrible.

"Did you know, Kaoru? About the evil witch of the clock tower?" Hikaru whispered.

"Yeah, long ago on Halloween, a girl who disguised herself as a witch fell from the clock tower."

"Ever since then, those who see her silhouette on Halloween," both of the twins jumped in front of the rep. and continued, "end up cursed!"

"S-STOP IT, PLEASE!" Souga cried, jumping up.

Atsushi was particularly sensitive to feelings, and he couldn't stand it when someone felt bad, so he walked up to the twins and said, "Stop it will you? The guy's scared to death!"

Haruhi joined him. "What's the point if you scare your own team member? Besides, our role right now is to scare others!"

"But no one's here yet, and we're so bored!"

Atsushi looked at Souga, sighed and said, "Kazukiyo-san, please get a grip!"

"Don't worry!" Haruhi assured him. "Look! I borrowed this '108 Ways to Get through Scary Situations' book!"

"Fujioka…" Souga said.

"Umm, let's see… "Strategies on how to deal with scary situations: 1-"

"Yeah, yeah?"

"Endure it and it'll be over eventually. 2 – Chant 'Away, ghost!' ten times. 3 – Pretend you don't see it even if you actually do."

"NO! Strategies like those don't solve anything!" Kazukiyo started running in circles yelling, "I want to go home! Call me minister of cowards or whatever, I don't care! Just let me go home!"

"Really, are you sure?" Kaoru asked.

"Would you want your dearest princess Kurakano to laugh at you?" Hikaru asked.

Souga suddenly blushed and started smiling.

"Eh, Class Rep., you like Kurakano-san!" Haruhi exclaimed.

"No! We're just childhood friends, and it doesn't have anything to do with this event! You know, we're just childhood friends!"

"Hai, hai, we understand." The twins said.

"Although you said you didn't want to abuse your powers as the class rep…" Hikaru started saying.

"The truth is you don't want to let her see you as a coward, and that's why you couldn't object to this proposal," Kaoru finished.

"No, that's not the reason why I couldn't object. I… I just…"

"Huh?" the twins asked, confused.

"Kurakano-san… Kurakano-san… seemed to really be looking forward to this fear trial…" Souga mumbled.

"Shit!" Kaoru cussed.

"He's a pure one… He's on the pure route…" Hikaru said horrified.

"He's someone from the realm we can't tease..."

"Ahh… our impurity has been carved out and exposed," they said together.

"But, Kazukiyo-san, now there's even a more reason to help you," Atsushi said kindly to him.

Then a shadow passed the room, catching both Atsushi's and Haruhi's attention.

"Is it just me…? I think I just saw a white shadow outside the windows." Haruhi said uncertainly.

"No, I saw it, too…" Atsushi said, staring at the window.

"S-Stop it! Why are you doing that, too Fujioka? And you, Nawamura? I thought you were different from the twins!"

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

The five teenagers peeked up the stairs, and saw a skull bouncing down to them! They yelled in fright, holding onto each other for dear life.

"Th-This is… a foul play by Team A, huh?" Kaoru stammered, scared out of his wits.

"It's not their turn yet!" Hikaru said angrily. "Follow the rules, damn it!" He kicked the skull up the stairs as hard as he could.

"Ouch…"

Kaoru clapped and said, "Nice shot."

"Ouch… Ouch…"

Atsushi muttered, "I don't think that's Team A, you guys…"

Behind them, the clock tower rang.

"…the clock tower's… witch?" Souga spluttered.

In front of them stood a person with long black hair and was in a white, long sleeved dress.

"Were you the ones," the witch looked up and parted its hair, revealing a skeleton-like face with blood at its mouth, "who kicked this skull?"

They all screamed ran, Haruhi and Hikaru to the left, Souga, Kaoru, and Atsushi to the right.

Atsushi was known as the "Speed Star" in school, but he still had a hard time keeping up with a certain Class Representative.

"Class Rep., where are you trying to go? Calm down," Kaoru asked from behind him, hot on his heels.

"I'm wondering, too. What were in those rooms, anyways?" Atsushi asked right next Souga.

Then someone fell from the ceiling and shoved the three of them into a room, then blocked the doors.

Atsushi yelled before he fell face-flat onto the marble floor in the dark science lab. Souga quickly curled into a ball against the wall and closed his eyes. Kaoru pounded on the door, yelling, "Hey! Open up!" He fell to the floor and muttered under his breath, "Damn it. We're locked in."

Atsushi sat cross legged to the right of the door. "It's no use, huh? There's no one outside."

"This is going way overboard, Team A," Kaoru muttered.

"Which twin are you?" Souga asked.

"Kaoru. Did your legs give out?"

"It's like… it's so scary that I don't care about anything anymore."

"Ahh, our plan's been completely ruined," Kaoru looked up at the ceiling. "You know, when Princess Kurakano comes over, we planned on scaring her to death… and letting you go in and calm her. That's the heart-warming scenario we had planned for you."

"Well, I'm thankful for you guys, but it's okay, really." He hugged his knees tighter, and continued. "Besides, Kurakano-san is a fan of Fujioka-san. Fujioka doesn't seem interested in Kurakano right now, but they might have feelings for each other eventually."

Atsushi laughed and said, "Don't you worry; that'll never happen."

"I swear to God it won't happen," Kaoru said, shaking his hand.

"Why?" Souga asked.

"It doesn't matter."

Kazukiyo fiddled his thumbs and said, "But… It may sound like an excuse, but right now I don't really plan on taking action. It's fun to do class rep. activities with Kurakano-san, and I pretty much don't want to ruin our current relationship."

"In other words, that's the magic spell of your carriage, huh?" Kaoru asked, his arms folded casually behind his head. "That's one way to think about it, indeed. If the carriage keeps going, it's not so bad either. Family settings like 'Daddy' and 'Mommy' must be the lord's magic spell to prevent our current relationship from breaking up."

"Huh?" both Souga and Atsushi asked.

"Both the lord and all of us, we've never played together with so many friends before in our lives so far. So, as much as we can, having fun together like we are right now is something I desire, too."

_That's how you think, Kaoru-kun?_ Atsushi mused and stared at him woefully. _I feel the same way, but in the few weeks I have been in the Host Club, I realized, that I had ran into the perfect family that didn't need anyone else. And yet, you guys adopted me, and let me stay here as a family member. But, this feeling, the feeling of not belonging, never goes away._

"Sorry… what are you talking about?" Souga asked hesitantly.

"But… someday…there's a high possibility it'll turn back into a yucky pumpkin…" Kaoru murmured to himself.

"Kaoru, are you in there Kaoru?"

The door slammed open, hitting Atsushi right in the face. He felt something flow in his nose. He reached up and touched it, and saw blood. _Oh darn it…_

"Kaoru!"

"Hikaru!"

They ran towards each other and hugged. "Hikaru!" "Kaoru!"

Atsushi muttered, "This is going to be about as close its going to get to a happy ending, because I'm going to kill Hikaru and beat him to the pulp."

"Huh? Where's Fujioka? Weren't you together?" Kazukiyo asked, looking around.

"Ah… Oops… I forgot about him," Hikaru said apologetically.

Haruhi ran up to them, panting.

"Hikaru that's just cheap! You just ran away by yourself when the rope was cut."

"Oh, I'm sorry…"

Kaoru stared wide-eyed at Hikaru. Atsushi noticed his bizarre behavior, walked up to him, and punched him slightly in the shoulder. Kaoru looked behind him and saw a bloody Atsushi looked a little flushed in the face.

"What happened to you?"

"Oh, it's a long story… and it concerns your brother. So, you better say your last good byes cause I'm going to kill him for giving me this wretched bloody nose and nearly breaking it."

"We'd better hurry up and go back, every must be worried sick about us," Souga said.

"Agreed. I had enough of Halloween."

VvV

"Ah, they're back!" Renge said.

"We were worried sick about you guys!" Kurakano said.

The five of them ran towards the rest of class 1-A.

"Where were you guys?"

"Leaving your post like that…"

We stopped the whole event to look for you guys."

Hikaru looked at them angrily and said, "Eh? Hey, you guys were the ones who started it."

"Huh? We didn't do anything."

Then, Renge and Kurokano screamed and held onto each other.

"What's wrong?" Haruhi asked them.

Kurokano shook with fear and said, "We just saw… something outside the window…"

Renge added, "Something white…"

All of them stared skeptically out the window, and saw a cat like shadow outside. They all screamed.

VvV

The next day, Kazukiyo Souga, Kurakano Momoka, Fujioka Haruhi, Hitachiin Hikaru, Hitachiin Kaoru, and Nawamura Atsushi stared at the bulletin board outside. Their faces were plastered on the front page of the school newspaper.

"We've been…" Haruhi said.

"Damn you, Nekozawa-sempai…" Hikaru growled. "It's obviously just Beelzenef if you look closer."

Kurakano looked straight ahead. She said, "I've heard about it."

"What?" Souga answered.

"Kazukiyo-kun, even though you're really a coward, you bore with it for the class sake?"

"Ah, no… Well… I'm sorry."

"That's so honorable of you! I have new reasons to admire you!"

"Nice mood, right? The magic spells of the carriage don't last forever, huh?" Kaoru said staring at them.

"What are you talking about?" Hikaru asked his twin.

Kaoru looked at him and stared off into space, thinking about the moment Hikaru had with Haruhi. Atsushi stared at him, feeling unsettled. He knew exactly how Kaoru felt, because he could feel it, too. It was a weird pyschic connection he had with people.

Kaoru put his hands on his hips and said under his breath, "Well, if you're still running towards me in that situation, I guess things are still fine."

"Huh?"

"Don't worry. I'm talking to myself. Come on, let's go, let's go." He put his hands on both Hikaru and Haruhi's shoulders and pushed them ahead.

Kaoru stared at the two of them and wondered, _But when Hikaru notices he wants to take another step forward… When that happens… what will I do?_

Kaoru felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around, and came face to face with Atsushi. Atsushi smiled and said, "You're not alone, Kaoru-kun."

Kaoru stared at the long-haired boy.

_How did he know?_


	6. Chapter 5

A/N: I just want to say that I'm sorry for not updating in a while. School's started, and I haven't had the time to type. I think this chapter's long, but who knows, it might be the shortest chapter you ever read. Sorry if it isn't funny; I don't really have a sense of humor, but I try.

Disclaimer: I only own Atsushi/Aoi. The rest belongs to Bisco Hattori.

* * *

><p>Atsushi walked down the sidewalk early Sunday morning. He wore a gray sweater, the hood over his head as he stuck his hands into his kangaroo pockets, his slightly damp hair hugging his face tightly. He walked with a slight bounce in each step as he looked down the ground.<p>

"HEY! ATSUSHI!"

The sea-green haired boy looked up and searched for the source of the voice, and saw someone waving at a window. He squinted, and made out a half-naked redhead who looked oddly like Hikaru or Kaoru – he really couldn't tell the difference.

"It's me! Wait outside," one of the Hitachiin twins called out to Atsushi. Atsushi smiled and nodded. He walked towards the gate of the huge mansion. Tapping his foot, he looked at the Hitachiin twins' house impressively. He never really ventured out of his apartment because he was home schooled, and he didn't really remember his old house from when he used to live with his family, so this was rather new for him.

"The door's open. Come inside." Atsushi guessed it was Kaoru because his bangs were on the left side of his head.

"Sorry for intruding."

He walked inside and came face to face to a shirtless, messy-haired, red-eyed Kaoru. He looked away, embarrassed. "Uh… why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

Kaoru looked at Atsushi slyly and asked, "Why? Are you uncomfortable?"

"Ah, well…"

He shrugged and said, "I'll go put on a shirt if you want." He stuck his hands in his pockets and walked towards the stairs.

Atsushi realized there was something missing. "Where's Hikaru-san?"

Kaoru looked over his shoulder and asked, "How do you know I'm not Hikaru?"

"I guess."

He raised his eyebrows. "Hikaru's sleeping."

"It's weird for you to not wake up Hikaru."

Kaoru rolled his eyes. "Just because he's my twin doesn't mean I do everything with him."

This time Atsushi raised his eyebrows. "I see…" He sat down on the red, velvet sofa and waited for Kaoru to come back from his room. _I wonder why he let me into his house today_, he wondered.

Kaoru finally came out with a navy, grey-striped v-neck with denim jeans. Atsushi looked at him curiously. "Why are you all dressed up? Are you going somewhere?"

Kaoru said, "Well, I was planning on going out somewhere… I'm kind of bored so…"

"Okay. I guess I'll be going now then." Atsushi stood from the sofa and walked towards the huge double doors.

"Do you - do you want to come?" Kaoru asked hesitantly.

Atsushi smiled and said, "I can come if you want me too. But I feel like I'm in the way."

Kaoru grinned sling his arm around Atsushi's shoulders. "Don't worry!"

Atsushi awkwardly took Kaoru's arm off his shoulder. "Shall we take Hikaru-san too?"

"Sure, let's call Haruhi."

VvV

"How did this happen?" Atsushi faced all the other Host Club members standing around. "And why are we at the zoo?"

Honey ran around the gate entrance, his stuffed pink bunny jumping up and down in his arms. He wore a sailor suit, with matching shoes and hat. Mori stood near Honey, arms crossed across his purple tank top. The twins stood with Atsushi, all of them looking at the huge gate to the door, astounded. Kyoya just stood around, not very interested in the zoo at all. He wore a black polo with jeans, and his glasses reflected the sunlight, and many girls snuck peeks at the sixteen year old boy. Takashi on the other hand, was extremely hyper, his clothes wrinkled as he ran back and forth, trying to see everything.

"So this is how commoners look at animals and save money! Amazing that these commoners know so many solutions to their problems!"

"Stupid rich people," Haruhi muttered.

Atsushi walked over to Haruhi. Smiling, he asked, "Haruhi-san, you never went to the zoo before, have you?"

Haruhi blushed and stammered, "Of course I went to the zoo before! I mean the nearby ones in the festivals, where they display animals! Yeah, that's where!"

He smiled at Haruhi. She was such an interesting person.

While Haruhi and Atsushi talked with each other, Hikaru glared at Atsushi. "For some reason I feel really irritated. Look at him; you can tell he's flirting!"

"Hikaru..." Kaoru looked at him sadly. _Will you ever realize it?_

Hikaru walked over to Atsushi and Haruhi, glaring at the boy. Atsushi looked curiously at him, unfazed by the gaze. "Is there something wrong, Hikaru-san?"

"Well I-"

"WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR? LET'S GO!" Tamaki yelled and they all walked towards the gates.

"Tamaki-sempai, did you get the tickets?" Haruhi asked him.

Tamaki looked strangely at Haruhi. "There were tickets?"

"Yes..." she narrowed her eyes as she asked, "Did you by chance, thought everything was free?"

Tamaki cried, "I underestimated commoners! They have enough money to pay for the tickets!" he looked at Haruhi sadly and said, "Don't worry Haruhi, Daddy doesn't mean to ignorant okay? I'm sorry!"

"Sempai..." she growled.

"Haru-chan! Tama-chan! Hurry up!" Honey called from the gates.

They walked over to the impatient group of people.

"You guys take too long! Hurry up!" Kaoru yelled.

"I agree! What were you guys talking about anyway?" Hikaru asked.

Kyoya started to walk in, but someone stopped them. "Tickets please."

Kyoya looked at him funny, before yanking out his phone and dialing. He paused for a minute, then spoke into the phone. "I need some help. Yes, yes, I do believe he doesn't know who we are." Kyoya then handed the cellphone to the staff member. "It's for you."

The employee stared at the phone before taking it. Gingerly holding it next to his ear, the employee asked, "Moshimoshi?" He listened, and said, "Hai… hai…" his voice grew weaker with each word. "I understand." He passed to phone back to Kyoya, and bowed deeply. "I'm sorry, Ootori-sama. Have a nice day, sir."

"Oh, and let these other people pass through." Kyoya didn't bother to say please.

"Hai!"

Haruhi's eye twitched. _The power of the Shadow King is unlimited… _she thought to herself.

"Oi Haruhi! Look at this seal!" the Hitachiin twins yelled.

"Haruhi! Come and look at the animals with daddy!" Tamaki exclaimed while looking at the sea lions.

"Haru-chan! Look at these cute animals everywhere!" Honey sat on Mori's shoulders, getting kind looks from the mothers passing by.

Haruhi was getting dragged everywhere by the Host club members, Atsushi and Kyoya trailing behind.  
>"They all seem to like Haruhi-san very much," Atsushi noticed.<p>

"I guess," Kyoya replied.

Atsushi looked at Kyoya and asked slyly, "Ootori-sempai, do you like Haruhi-san?"

"What makes you think that?"

"It's a gut feeling. And my gut feelings are usually right."

"Well, this time they're wrong."

Atsushi laughed. He then noticed the food stand nearby. Feeling a little hungry, he walked over to the stand. "One churro, please."

"388 yen."

Atsushi reached into his pocketbook and handed him the money. "Thank you. Have a nice day."

Atsushi walked over to the rest of the Host club, who were staring a crocodile. Honey noticed the churro in Atsushi's hands.

"Atsu-chan, can I have a churro too?" he asked.

"Of course Honey-sempai." Atsushi broke the churro in half and handed one half to Honey. "Here."

Honey smiled and was about to open his mouth when some boys ran into him, making him drop the churro. Honey eyes started to tear up, and he stared at the churro. "My... My churro... It's gone!" he cried.

Hikaru swiftly picked it up and blew on it, then handed it to Honey. "Here you go Honey-sempai, all clean."

Honey was about to take it from his hands, when Atsushi snatched it away. "Don't make him eat that!" he handed his own untouched churro to Honey. "You can eat this instead Honey-sempai."

Honey's eyes twinkled, and he took it, and quickly took a bite. "Thanks Atsu-chan!"

"Oh, and by the way, I want a churro too," Hikaru told Atsushi. "Can you buy me one?"

Atsushi handed him the churro that dropped on the floor. "Here you go."

"I also want a churro, Atsushi," Kaoru added.

"Me too! I want to taste commoner's churro!" Tamaki said excitedly.

Atsushi sighed, and looked over at Kyoya. "How about you Ootori-sempai?"

He just held his hand up and said, "I'll pass."

"What about you Haruhi-san?"

"Yes, please." she smiled sweetly, and got attacked by the mental blonde. "Aww! You're too cute, Haruhi!" Tamaki rubbed his head against hers.

"Tamaki-sempai, can you let go of me? You're embarrassing."

Tamaki curled up into a ball and tried to get as far away from the Host club as possible.

Atsushi went to the food stand and ordered seven churros. He walked back and gave one to each of the Host Club members.

"Atsushi, is there some tea there? I would like you to buy some tea for me," Kyoya said casually.

"Please get it yourself."

"Well, you do know I have some very nice pictures of you here I could go and post on our website..."

"You play hard don't you sempai?" Atsushi muttered as he walked back to the food stand. The person working there looked at Atsushi strangely, as if to say, "You again?"

"One green tea please." Then Atushi had an evil idea. "And a coke please."

Atsushi walked back to Kyoya and handed him the green tea.

"Thank you Atsushi," thanked Kyoya. He opened the bottle- and then the bottle's contents shot up like a fountain, spraying Kyoya's face, hair, and clothes. Atsushi started laughing, his arms grabbing his stomach as he looked at a dripping Kyoya. The twins started guffawing too, and together, the three of them rolled onto the floor, feeling very lucky to have seen such a sight. Haruhi giggled slightly, then started laughing along with them. Honey, Mori, and Tamaki though, was very worried about him.

"Mommy! Are you all right?" Tamaki asked, looking worriedly at him.

"Kyo-chan? Are you okay? Do you want a towel?"

Kyoya paid them no mind, and he walked up to Atsushi, and grabbed by the front of his sweatshirt.

"Why did you do that?" he growled.

Atsushi wasn't nearly as tall as Kyoya, but he did know judo, and Atsushi expertly held onto Kyoya's shirt and threw him over his shoulder, making Kyoya land hard on the ground. "Can't you take a joke? It'll come off! You don't have to overreact about it!"

Some people started to stare at them, but looked away when Atsushi glared at them. Then he remembered the phone call. "I want you to make a good influence on them. If you offend them, they may cut ties with the Nawamura Corporation. And you will be in big trouble." _Oh no,_ he thought. _What have I done?_

Kyoya stood up and brushed off his clothes, then faced Atsushi with an icy expression. Atsushi avoided his gaze, and fidgeted with his hands, a habit which he found hard to break.

Haruhi looked at them back and forth, and decided to break the ice. "Ummm... Who wants to see the flamingoes?"

The rest of the Host members (except for Atsushi and Kyoya) all exclaimed, "I do! Let's go!"

"Actually, I'm going to go home now. Bye," Atsushi told them in a monotone voice. He turned around so that his back faced them and walked towards the gate.

VvV

Atsushi didn't come to school the next day, or the day after that, or the day after that. Everyone in school thought that he was sick, and didn't think much about it. The Host Club members though, were troubled.

"He doesn't answer any of his phones, or his email, and we don't know where he lives," the Hitachiin twins sighed and sank into the sofa in the Third Music Room.

"I wonder what's wrong with Atsushi," Haruhi wondered out loud.

"Maybe he really is sick," Honey said, even though everyone knew he didn't really believe that.

"Oh my poor child is feeling terrible! And I, as the father, can't even help my own child!" Tamaki cried sadly.

Kyoya was the only one who wasn't fazed by Atsushi's strange absence.

"Mommy, are you not worried about our child?" Tamaki asked him.

"He probably felt like ditching school," Kyoya said, pushing his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose.

Haruhi finally had enough. She slammed her hands on the table. "Kyoya-sempai! You should apologize for what you said on Sunday!"

"Why should I, when I did nothing wrong?"

Haruhi's jaw clenched, and she said, "I'm going to go find Atsushi no matter what!"

VvV

Haruhi walked home to her apartment. She had searched almost all afternoon, but she still couldn't find Atushi. "Ugh... So tired... I'm going to try again tomorrow." She trudged along the street, and stopped when she saw a figure with shoulder-length, sea-green hair sitting in a bench at the park near her house. The person was wearing a necklace with a cross on it, just like Atsushi does. "Atsushi! Is that you?" she called out. The person faced her, and confirmed Haruhi's doubts. It was Atsushi. Then she noticed what he was wearing.

"Atsushi... Why are you wearing a dress?"

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><p>388 yen is about $5 or £7.<p>

READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N**: Sorry for not updating. I was busy, and school started, my afterschool classes started, all that stuff. So here is another chapter, although I suspect many of you have been chased away already...

**Disclaimer**: Nothing belongs to me. Only to Bisco Hattori

* * *

><p>"Why are you wearing a dress?"<p>

Atsushi slowly stood up from the bench, and walked towards Haruhi, his sea-green hair blowing across his face. He walked up to her and said, "Hi, Haruhi-san."

Haruhi gasped. "Atsushi-kun, your voice… Are you, a girl?"

Smiling at her, Atsushi answered, "Bingo." Her arms fell loosely at the sides of her brown floral dress, the cabbage roses a soft pink and red. "Haruhi-san, lets talk, shall we?"

VvV

"Oh, so this is a commoner's apartment?" Atsushi looked inside curiously. "Tatami mats, low ceilings, one room, small kitchen, all the characteristics of a commoner's apartment. How charming."

"Oh please, don't strain yourself," Haruhi muttered. She walked inside and turned on the lights. Her father wasn't home yet, so they had the apartment all to themselves. She turned to Atsushi and asked, "Would you like something to drink or eat?"

"No thanks, I'm fine," Atsushi called out to her from the one and only room in the apartment. Haruhi walked inside and asked, "Where were you these last few days? We were very worried."

"Thinking. Reflecting on my actions on Sunday."

"Uh, this might sound awkward, but is Atsushi your real name? Atsushi is a boy's name so…"

Atsushi laughed and said, "Just call me Aoi."

"That's weird. You're hair is greenish, but your name means blue."

"Not my fault," she grumbled. Aoi looked up and stared at Haruhi. "Sorry, but can you not tell anyone? This should never be known by anyone, or else… or else… I might ruin something very important to my family…"

Haruhi smiled warmly, her eyes small lines. "Don't worry, I won't. Then, when are you coming back to school?"

Aoi averted her eyes. "Who knows?" She slowly rose from the floor, and headed towards the door. "It's late, I should leave. Bye."

VvV

_What should I do? _Aoi sat in her brown corner sofa, her hands clasped tightly together. _Should I come back?_

VvV

"He's not here today either," the Hitachiin twins grumbled. They had become great friends with the green-haired boy, and were missing him.

"I wonder what's wrong with Atsu-chan," wondered Honey. He hugged Usa-chan tightly. "Is he sick? Maybe he didn't have cake for a long time. Should I go bring him cake?"

"Only you Honey-sempai would get sick from not eating cake," Hikaru muttered.

Haruhi sat still in her chair, thinking about the night before. _Why isn't she coming? _She thought, staring of into nowhere in particular.

"Oi… oi… Haruhi… Earth to Haruhi… HARUHI!" Tamaki yelled, frantically waving his arms in front of Haruhi's face. "Is my daughter alright? Are you sick?" He gasped suddenly. "Maybe my daughter is having boy problems! Oh, Haruhi! Don't worry, Daddy will take care of those boys! I'll make them pay!"

"It's nothing like that sempai…" Haruhi told him.

Tamaki sighed in relief. "That's good."

Then, behind them, big double doors creaked opened slightly, and in walked a rumpled Atsushi, who stuck his hands in his pockets, his back hunched slightly.

"ATSUSHI!" the twins yelled happily, and ran towards him, arms outstretched, only to be dodged. "Hey…" they grumbled.

Atsushi walked straight towards Kyoya, who was sitting at a table, his hands flitting over the keyboard.

"Ah… Um… Sorry for how I behaved on Sunday. It was immature and unacceptable, and wrong. I won't do it again." Atsushi mumbled, fidgeting.

"Of course you won't." Pausing for a moment to push his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose he continued, "You really are like a Fallen Angel are you? You were probably basking in self-pity for the last few days."

"You..."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing..."

They shook hands, and then pretended nothing had ever happened.

Behind them, the Host Club members gawked at them. "Did I… did I see this correctly…?" Hikaru muttered, rubbing his eyes furiously.

"I'm not sure… what did you see?" Kaoru asked.

"I… saw them… do the impossible… I saw them… SHAKE HANDS!"

"You're not turning crazy Hikaru! I saw that too!"

"What do you mean Hikaru, Kaoru?" Kyoya asked menacingly, his glasses shining, and his lips turned into a snarl.

"NOTHING, SIR!"


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N**: Hello :) New Chapter! Yay!

*a water sprite in japanese folklore

**Disclaimer**: Don't own anyone except Atsushi.

* * *

><p>Atsushi stared out the window, blocking out the sounds from the class, who were bustling with excitement about autumn break. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a slight bickering between the twins and Haruhi. Walking casually over to them, he heard their, well, rather pointless conversation.<p>

"I can't go to the meeting, so tell everyone I'm sorry…" Atsushi heard Haruhi call from the doorway.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" the twins yelled, grabbing her and preventing her from going.

"Speaking of which, you skipped yesterday and the day before that too. You can't keep this up or milord will drown with despair," Hikaru said.

"That's right. He thinks it's his fault that you're not coming, and he's acting like…" Kaoru trailed off.

"How would you say it? A puppy without a home?"

"A *kappa without water?"

They laughed together, "A monkey without bananas! Milord the monkey!"

Atsushi observed that Haruhi's absence went unnoticed, and pointing between the Hitachiin twins, he asked, "You guys do know that Haruhi is gone, right?"  
>"Huh? Haruhi?" they looked around for her.<p>

"Uh, he already left…" the Kazukiyo Souga, the class president, said lamely.

VvV

"I see, I see," Tamaki smiled, holding his hands on either side of his face, "even though it's the last meeting before summer vacation, Haruhi didn't show up—" he fell backwards as though something hit him right in the face.

"Tama-chan!" Honey cried, tears rushing down his cheeks.

"Why… Why do I feel like she's been avoiding me lately… When I speak to her, she replies in a casual distant manner. And what if she stars saying that she doesn't want to do family things like laundry with me!" Tamaki cried, lying limp on the floor, Mori and Honey sitting next to him.

"Since when did you do laundry with Haruhi, Suoh-sempai?" Atsushi asked innocently. "You guys spend less then an hour together on a daily basis."

"WHAT?"

"It's okay Tama-chan! Calm down!"

"WHY IS SHE AVOIDING ME? HAVE I BEEN TOO STRICT WITH HER UPBRINGING? HAVE I WOUNDED HER SENSITIVE FEMININE FEELINGS?" Tamaki wailed, his hands going through his hair.

"The heat must be getting to him," Hikaru muttered behind him, playing a video game.

"But you know, Haruhi has always kept her distance from milord. This isn't the first time," Kaoru added, watching the graphics on the DS.

"Hey guys…" Atsushi murmured. "Suoh-sempai is kind of…"

"GUWAAAAAH? WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Tamaki yelled, hitting Kaoru with his fists wildly, tears streaming down his face. Mori held him back with strong hands, and Honey cried, "Hika-chan! Kao-chan! Don't tease him!"

"Haruhi ran away because she was sick of you, and so am I!" Kaoru yelled back, whose clenched hands would have met with Tamaki's front teeth had Atsushi had not been holding him back with effort.

Behind them, Kyoya, not paying much attention to the commotion, asked, "Oh, didn't you guys know? For the past few days, Haruhi has been meeting Misuzu-san's daughter at the neighboring all-girls school."

Time stood still, as Mori, Honey, Tamaki, Atsushi, and the twins stared at Kyoya blankly.

"Kyoya… You… Didn't tell me at all…" Tamaki growled.

Ignoring him, Kyoya continued, "It seems Misuzu-san got a divorce seven years ago and has a daughter in her freshman year of high school. She was raised by her mother and step-father. Since her Step-father is on a business trip for a month, they've arranged for their daughter to spend the summer in Japan with Misuzu-san."

"Eh? So Misuzu-chi is divorced. What a surprise." The twins said together.

"What does that have to do with Haru-chan?" Honey asked, holding onto Usa-chan tightly.

In the meantime, Atsushi stared confusedly at the other host club members, not understanding what they were talking about. "Um, guys? Who is Misuzu?"

Everyone ignored him.

"For the sake of her convenience, her mother made her stay in Japan against her wishes. The truth is, she didn't even want to see Misuzu-san, and ran away the moment she arrived," Kyoya said.

The last sentence caught Tamaki's attention.

"Misuzu-san panicked and went to the Fujioka house in tears."

"Ahh, I see now," Hikaru said.

"Still, why is Haruhi meeting her after school…?" Kyoya noticed Tamaki off to the side, crying a river. "Eh? Milord, why are you crying?"

"I… understand… I understand... The extent of Misuzu-chi's sorrow!" He crossed his hands across his chest, and sobbed, "The feelings of a father with a rebellious daughter." He faced the Host Club and declared, "As a kindred spirit, I cannot ignore this! Let's go everyone!"

The Hitachiin twins and Honey cheered, Kyoya muttering, "Seems interesting enough for now."

"WHO THE HELL IS MISUZU?"

VvV

"And so, Misuzu's daughter is probably a very sweet girl with fluffy hair. You know, the innocent ones," Hikaru was explaining to Atsushi.

"Ohh, okay," Atsushi replied.

"Ah! There she is!" Honey exclaimed. "Haru-cha…"

Everybody stared out of the window of the limo, and noticed Haruhi was wearing a normal school uniform, with the blouse and skirt and everything. The boys were speechless. Atsushi whistled for effect.

"EHHH? WHAT'S WITH THAT? SHES SO CUTE! Tamaki and the twins exclaimed.

They watched as Haruhi walked up to a deeply tanned girl, who wore tons of makeup all on her face, and the Host Club gasped, "BARBIE!" Atsushi gaped at the girl, his mouth wide open. _That's… that's Misuzu's… DAUGHTER?"_

"Whaat? Misuzu? You mean GAYLORD. G-A-Y-L-O-R-D! THAT LOLI COSTUME-OBSESSED, BIG-BONED, CROSS-DRESSER!" they heard the Barbie yell at the top of her lungs.

The Host Club looked at her, and thought unhappily, _Such foul language…_

"So what's in the paper bag?" the Barbie asked.

"You said you don't want me standing outside your school in my Ouran uniform, so I changed clothes in the restroom at the train station." Haruhi added, "Though I don't understand why it had to be a girl's uniform…"

"What isn't that obvious? PEOPLE WILL GOSSIP ABOUT ME IF THEY SEE YOU HANGING AROUND IN THAT RICH SCHOOL'S UNIFORM! I like rich men, but Ouran is on a whole different level," she said thoughtfully. "BUT MY POINT IS—YOU'RE A WOMAN! IF YOU'RE A WOMAN, YOU SHOULD LOOK LIKE ONE!" Atsushi saw wads of spit flying out of the Barbie's mouth and right into Haruhi's face. He wrinkled his nose. _Disgusting…_

Abruptly, Tamaki stepped out of the car, brushing a few strands from his forehead, and interrupted the girls' conversation. "You're right about that, young lady. It seems we have something in common." After making sure he caught their attention, he held is hand out and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Suoh Tamaki, and these are my happy friends."

Atsushi stared at the other Host Club members and muttered, "Don't look so happy to me." The Hitachiin twins tried to smile, but ended up looking like they were in pain instead. "What is this…" they spoke between their teeth.

The Barbie yelled at Haruhi, "WHOA! THIS GUY IS GORGEOUS! HE'S YOUR FRIEND?"

Tamaki asked, "Umm, so… you're Mei-chan, right?"

Facing Tamaki, she shrieked excitedly, "Yes! I'm Yasumura Mei! Nice to meet you!"

Tamaki bowed and complimented, "May I say that your bronze skin is absolutely stunning. Where did you get it from? Hawaii?"

"Ahaha, noooo. I just lost track of time at the tanning salon…" she said embarrassed.

"You're wearing quiet a bit of makeup. Are you in theater?"

"Ah, well…"

"That's a really short skirt… aren't you cold?" Honey asked.

"No that's probably a tennis skirt. Are you in the tennis club?" Kyoya asked with interest.

"She wears too much make-up for a girl her age. You look like a toddler smeared crayon on you. Go easy on that stuff," Atsushi told her.

"Whoa, those are long false eyelashes!" Kaoru exclaimed.

"Well, if you take a closer look, she's pretty plain looking." Kaoru stared at her face.

"You know, she looks a lot like Misuzu-chi," Kaoru said.

"Mainly the lips," Kaoru observed.

"Like parent, like child!" Hikaru said.

"Hey… WHO ARE THESE RUDE BASTARDS?" Mei asked Haruhi angrily.

"Well, that… they always do this to me, too," Haruhi muttered.

"Mei-chan, you're staying at Haru-chan's house, right?" Honey asked happily.

"Ah, well, three people are a lot for that house. Are you training for something?" Hikaru asked.

"So if Misuzu-chi's house is so terrible, why not live alone?" Kaoru asked. Atsushi tensed up a little. _Don't ever make that mistake_, he thought.

"GET REAL! MY MOM WOULD KILL ME IF SHE FOUND OUT! I originally planned on crashing at a friend's for a month or so…" Mei said.

Tamaki, the twins, and Honey said together, as if they rehearsed it dozens of times before, "Oh? Maybe you should stay at a hotel instead."

Haruhi's eyebrow twitched. "You guys… please be quiet!"

Atsushi thought, _She's going to blow in three… two… one… _

"THAT'S ENOUGH! LET'S GO! I DON'T GET THESE GUYS!" Mei yelled, yanking on Haruhi's wrist.

"Eh? Mei-chan, my house isn't…" Haruhi said.

"I'M PISSED OFF! LET'S GO KARAOKE! IT'S YOU FAULT, SO YOU'RE TREATING!"

"Karaoke, huh?" the twins chirruped.

"This is my first time~" Honey said happily. Mori just stared.

"Ahh… What the commoners call KARAOKE! It'll be my research!" Tamaki cheeks turned red with excitement and stared longingly out the window of the limousine.

"Good for you," Kyoya said next to him.

Atsushi couldn't help but feel curious. "Karaoke… Sounds interesting…"

Mei was very annoyed, and she gave in. "Fine, fine! Just get out of the freaking car!"

VvV

When the Host Club members saw the karaoke room, some of them complained about how cramped it was inside. Mei told them to shut up and deal with it. Atsushi stared at the girl and frowned. "I don't like your choice of words Yasumura-san."

"SHUT UP!"

After about an hour, Tamaki started his tenth song.

"I will sing '"Shitetsu Ensen'." He sang into the microphone, "YOU WERE AT THE TRAIN STATION EXIT COUNTER~"

Honey was enjoying himself thoroughly, and clapped a tambourine, his signature "Happy" flowers more visible than usual.

"Hey… Why is that half-Japanese guy only singing stupid old songs? Even though he's kinda good," she muttered.

"Who knows…?" Haruhi was very unenthusiastic.

"Plus… He's been singing and looking at you for a while now… like he really wants you to praise him…"

"Is… Is that so?"

"You're not going to sing Haruhi?" Kyoya asked.

"So that's it Haruhi! You have no experience! Alright! Sing a duet with da—"

"No way. Umm, excuse me I have to use the restroom…"

Tamaki hid in his emo corner, and Honey immediately rushed over to cheer him up.

Atsushi hummed will he flipped through the pages of the song book. _Now, what's there to sing?_

"Hey now… what did you want to sing? I'll sing with you," Mei place a hand on Tamaki's shoulder.

Tamaki laughed slightly and brushed away a tear. "Thank you. You're very kind, Mei-chan."

Mei quickly added, "I-I'm not trying to be nice or anything… Besides, no one's concerned."

"Hehe, so what song should we sing…?"

Honey broke their conversation by asking, "Hey, hey… What do you like besides karaoke Mei-chan? I like cake~"

"Huh? Well, I like making clothes and stuff…"

"Oh, with Misuzu-chi?" The twins said in sync.

"WHAT? WITH THAT IDIOT…"

"What about Misuzu-chi bothers you so much?" Hikaru asked her.

"Oi, Hikaru. You're being a bit nosy," Atsushi murmered.

"You don't understand… that guy… in his room… He has a fetish for doll costumes, you know? His room is filled with FRILLS, and PINK, and RIBBONS, and DOLLS, with FLOWERS, and MIRRORS, with LACE! IT'S DISGUSTING!"

The host club members stared blankly at Mei. Atsushi started to wonder whether this Misuzu-chi was everything the Hitachiin twins described him as, or worse.

"That's expected but…" Hikaru started.

"It's a bit…" Kaoru mumbled.

"Unpleasant," they said together.

"Year after year, he sends me frilly clothes on my birthday! And now my mother said I have to stay at his house for the summer!" she yelled. "He's always asking me if I want to take a bath, if I want pancakes. OR IF I WANT TO PLAY DOLLS WITH THAT LOLI-MONSTER!"

"Wow…" the host club members said.

"Sure, I like that cute stuff when I was a kid, but that guy… HE USED TO BE A HARD WORKING BANK CLERK! AND WHAT IS HE NOW? THAT… THAT!"

Tamaki tried to calm her down. "B-but… look at Haruhi's dad…"

"HE HAS PRETTY GENES! Besides he… didn't abandon his daughter…"

Atsushi tightened, and felt like throwing up. _This girl, she's… kind of like me…_

"Now I see… You were lonely," Tamaki said.

Atsushi didn't want to hear it. He ran out of the door, and ran down the hallway, only pausing for breath when he was far, far away from the room. He heard voices down the hallway, and realized it was Kaoru and Haruhi. _Damn… why do I always end up in awkward situations?_ He was about to walk away when he heard Kaoru say, "We have the same tastes. We always… wind up liking the same things. But you know… It'd be nice if there were two, like these cans. But what will we do when there's… only one of what we like?"

"Split it in half?" Haruhi offered.

Atsushi stifled a laugh.

"Right! Split it in half!" Hikaru said, laughing an obviously fake laugh.

Atsushi turned around, and came face to face with the Barbie. He nearly jumped in surprise. "Yasumura-san, what are you doing here?"

"You were eavesdropping, weren't you?" She glared at him. Atsushi forced himself to look straight into her face.

"I accidentally did."

"Right… and I'm Rebecca Black. You know, I realized some weird things about you. I keep getting the strangest feeling you are like Haruhi." She stared at him beadily. "You… you're a cross-dresser, aren't you?"

Atsushi laughed uneasily. "What are you talking about?"

"You… give off some strange vibes." She looked at him suspiciously, and said, "You… have girl features. Like, big eyes, skinny figure, and long hair."

"How about Tamaki?"

"DON'T SAY THAT ABOUT THE MOST HANDSOME GUY IN THE UNIVERSE!" she stormed away.

Atsushi gave a sigh of relief. _That was too close, _he thought to himself.

They walked into the room, right when Haruhi said, "Umm, Tamaki-sempai," before Mei yanked her away towards the door, yelling, "HEY! COME TO THE RESTROOM WITH ME!"

"But I just went there," Haruhi replied.

"YEAH, BUT STILL!"

Atsushi walked back to his seat, and looked at a crying Tamaki. "Umm, Suoh-san…?"

"WHERE'S MY FAMILY TIME WITH HARUHI? SHE ALWAYS GETS TAKEN AWAY! I'M BEING A GOOD DADDY!" He stood up and said, "I will now be responsible, and set her curfew! Check who she goes out with! Make sure that guys she chooses are appropriate!" He brightened and said, "YES! THAT"S WHAT I"LL DO! RIGHT GUYS?" He looked around and noticed Honey was singing, with Hikaru, Kaoru, and Atsushi crouched over the keypad, choosing songs they want to sing, Kyoya looking at them, flipping through the pages. Only Mori was the one who heard the speech, but like usual, he said nothing.

"GUYS?"


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Hey guys! I personally don't like this chapter, so it might not be good... forgive me! but still, i tried. so yea...

**Disclaimer**: You guys know the drill. I dont own this, Bisco Hattori does. the end.

* * *

><p><em>Beep, beep. <em>

"Ugh…" Aoi reached around her counter next to her bed, feeling for her digital clock. She pressed the button, stopping the obnoxious beeping and went right back to sleep, ignoring the fact that she had to meet the other Host Club members one and a half hour later.

She woke up again, and looked sleepily around. She happened to glance at her clock. _B:30. _Rubbing her eyes, she stared at it again. _12:30. _

"It's twelve-thirty…" she smacked her lips, then it hit her. "Wait, it's TWELVE-THIRTY? I'm late for the meeting!" she jumped out of her bed, pulled her jeans over her pajamas before realizing what she had done. She quickly put her clothes on the right way, and pulling a shirt on, she rushed out of the door. "I'm so late, I'm so late… Yasamura-san is going to kill me…"

VvV

When Atsushi arrived at their meeting place a few blocks away from Haruhi's house, Mei was ready to kill him.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? YOU'RE LATE!"

"I'm not that late…" Atsushi mumbled.

Mei heard him. "WHATDYA MEAN YOU'RE NOT THAT LATE? IT'S BEEN OVER FORTY MINUTES!"

"DON'T YELL AT OUR FRIEND YOU BARBIE!" the Hitachiin twins yelled at her.

"BARBIE? WHO YA CALLING BARBIE?"

"Guys, lets not fight," Atsushi tried to break up the argument.

"OH SHUT UP!"

"Mei-chan, I want to try riding the Yamanote Line," Tamaki broke up their argument.

"The… Yamanote Line?" Mei asked. "We're not going to some high-class boutique or anything…?"

"Why? Do you want to go to some boutique? Everyone goes to boutiques," Hikaru stated, ignoring the fact that not many people went to high-class boutiques in their everyday life.

"Please, Mei-chan?" Tamaki pleaded, using his Bambi eyes.

"Wow never seen that on milord," Kyoya said.

"Please, Mei-chan?" Honey repeated.

"PLEASE?" They asked together.

Mei stared at them, before giving in unhappily, with a barely audible, "Sure."

"YAY!"

"Honey-sempai, Suoh-sempai, you are disturbing the peace," Atsushi whispered. "Remember? Commoners are very quiet, you barely notice they are there."

"Oh yea, sorry commoners," Tamaki spoke softly.

Mei's eyebrow twitched.

VvV

"Ehh? So this is the subway? How ugly," Hikaru commented, ignoring the weird stares he got from the people passing by.

"Shut up you ginger," Mei muttered as she paid for the tickets. "Here, these are your tickets. Put this into there, and then it will come out from there," Mei explained lamely, pointing at random places.

"Huh?"

She groaned in frusteration. "Just watch, okay?" She placed her ticket into a machine, which Aoi suspected was the gate area. It opened, and her ticket spit out from the other end. "Like that."

The Host Club members ignored her, and tried to go through. "This stupid gate won't let me go through! There are these weird things blocking me! It must be broken," the redhead twins tried to push their way in, causing a loud siren. "See? It even makes this funny noise."

Honey squished in between the twins and went under the gate. Smiling proudly, he shouted from the other side, "I made it to the other side!"

"Ooh, Honey-sempai how did you do that?"

"I went under the gate!"

Hikaru and Kaoru looked at each other. "That's not a bad idea." They were about to go under when Mei stopped them. "DO YOU WANT TO GET ARRESTED OR WHAT?"

"We were just trying to go through."

"YOU PUT YOUR F**KING TICKET INTO THE F**KING SLOT AND IT WILL COME OUT FROM THE OTHER SIDE, DAMMIT!"

"Well we're sorry. Jeezes…"

Atsushi walked up to Mei and said, "Yasamura-san, you will need some anger management classes. Do you want me to sign you up for therapy?"

"SHUT UP!"

VvV

They finally got to their track number, and the Host club looked around, extremely curious.

"Look they have benches! I guess commoners get tired too," Kaoru observed.

Tamaki called over to Mei, "Mei! How do I get something from this thing? It won't accept credit card!"

The passerbys stared at the blonde curiously. Mei ignored their looks, and walked over to the vending machine. "I'll pay for it, I'll bloody pay for it…"

"Ah, thank you, Mei," Tamaki thanked her.

Mei blushed slightly, but stammered, "Well, its not like it matters, I mean, you know, it won't hurt the little money I have."

She placed in the money, but before Tamaki could chose something, the train came.

"Ah, the train!" He grabbed Mei's wrist and yanked her closer to the train.

"Wait, the money! You didn't choose anything!" But Tamaki had already forgotten about the vending machine. He jumped up and down excitedly. "The train, the train! Mommy, isn't this exciting?"

"Sure."

"Ooh! I can't wait!"

Mei stared at the vending machine, her arm outstretched. "MY MONEY!"

The doors opened, and Tamaki rushed inside, pushing anyone in his way. Atsushi walked inside as fast as he could, afraid that the doors were going to shut on him. He looked around. It was narrow and slightly crowded; there were blue chairs lining the walls, and three royal velvet chairs on either side at the end. Thinking they were reserved to rich people like him, he walked over their and sat down.

When the train started moving, Tamaki, Hikaru, Kaoru, Hunny, and Mori stared out the window in the door. They marveled at the view, and made the most embarrassing comments.

"See that? Commoner's can fit a house in such a narrow space!" Hikaru said.

"And look at that! So many buildings! Commoners have gone a long way since the cavemen!" Kaoru marveled.

"Uh guys, everyone came from cavemen," Atsushi told them.

"That is not true! We came from the gods," they said.

"Hey! Not so loud!" Mei shushed them.

People started looking at them funny, and started to back away from the crazy teens.

"Oh, look! A passing train! Let's all wave!" Tamaki declared. The Host Club waved madly at the passing trains.

Atsushi noticed the absence of a raven-haired host. "Where's Kyoya?"

Mei stared angrily at Kyoya, who stood at the far end of the train, pretending not to know them. "Kyoya.." she muttered, and her fingers twitched as Mei fought the urge to punch him.

"Next stop is Harajuku, Harajuku. The doors are on your left," the announcer called. The doors opened, and a lot of people walked in.

It repeated on and on, making torture for Mei. The Host Club members embarrassed her to the point were she wanted to die, and it got worse when Tamaki started imitating the train announcements.

Tamaki walked to the center of the train, cleared his throat, and announced in a deep gravely voice, "The next stop is Akihabara, Akihabara."

"HAHAHA! SOUNDS JUST LIKE IT!" the twins started laughing, and Atsushi smiled. He glanced over at Mei. She was tearing at the eyes, dying of embarrasement.

"Uh, Yasamura-san…?"

"Ugh, just kill me already!"

VvV

"That was so fun Mei! Thank you!" Tamaki thanked her sincerely. Mei wasn't in the mood to care. She looked tired, upset, and hungry. She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Tamaki.

"I want to go to Togenuki Jizou in Sugamo," he held a Tokyo map, and pointed a finger at the Host Club. "The elderly are the foundation of commoners' culture! Let's visit the grandmothers of Harajuku!"

"YEAH!"

VvV

Aoi plopped on her sofa, exhausted. Harajuku was exciting; there were old grannies following and admiring Tamaki, and they ate anmitsu, sembei, shaved ice, and dango. It was bustling with people, and had blotches of color everywhere. There were people cosplaying and many tourists. Stores lined the streets, and were crowded. The twins had pulled her around, and together they looked at different stores and stands. Kaoru pretended to get hurt, causing Hikaru to check on him, and together they performed their twincest. This earned a whacking from Mei.

"You know, I'm so glad I came to this school…"

* * *

><p><strong>anmitsu-bean jam<strong>

**senbei-rice cracker**

**dango-dumplings**


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N**: Hello again :) A new chapter! YAY! Enjoy! oh, and READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!

**Disclaimer**: Not mine. Only Bisco Hattori's.

* * *

><p>"Neh, Kaoru. Do we really have to go inside?" Hikaru propped his head up with his hand from the inside of his car.<p>

"Of course! Milord's been playing with Haruhi too long!" Kaoru replied. Atsushi snored softly in the passenger seat in front. They had woken him up at five this morning, so Atsushi only had five hours of sleep that night. They told him that it was a while from Misuzu's penthouse and from their house, so they left early. It was a downright lie; they had been waiting outside for a few hours, arguing on whether they should go in or not.

"Come on Hikaru! Instead of being irritated, we should enter abruptly! Wouldn't it be fun if we bother them in a flashy way like we always do? I have wanted to see Misuzu-chi for a long time!" Kaoru said excitedly, waving his hands madly in front of Hikaru.

"Why are you so hyper, Kaoru?" Hikaru sighed. "I don't understand why... I somehow got pissed off when I heard Haruhi was helping milord. It must be because milord did something alone without telling us..." Kaoru looked at his brother with concern. "That's why I don't really want to see either of them right now."

Behind Hikaru, beyond the window, some blonde smashed his face against the window, tears flying out of his eyes as he cried, "HIKARU! KAORU!"

"WHA-? MILORD?"  
>Tamaki yanked open the car door and jumped into the twin's laps. "SO IT REALLY WAS YOUR CAR! DID YOU COME HERE TO SAVE ME? YOU CAME HERE TO SAVE ME RIGHT? I'M SO GLAD!"<p>

"Milord, you hurting me!" the twins yelled, struggling under the weight of Tamaki.

"WAAAAH! PLEASE HIDE ME! THE THIRD DEMON IS COMING!"  
>"Tamaki-sempai..." the three of them heard a cold, low voice behind them. "You have some nerve to run away after cleaning..."<p>

They all started crying in fear, because what they saw was scarier than Kyoya in the morning. It was Haruhi, all dressed up in demon form, holding a broom with her left hand, her right hand clenched into a tight fist as lightning clashed.

"AAHHH! THE THIRD DEMON!" Tamaki cried as he tried to run away.

Unluckily for him, Haruhi cornered him, and started to torment him, AKA yell at him. "THE GUEST ROOMS HAVE ALL FLOODED! NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES I TELL YOU, CAN'T YOU SQUEEZE A DUST CLOTH PROPERLY? THE BEDS WERE ALSO MADE IN A SLOPPY WAY! THE WATER IN THE VASES IS OVERFLOWING! SUMMER VACATION JUST STARTED, BUT IN WHAT WAYS DID YOU HELP US?

Tamaki whimpered, "But Misuzu-chi told me that I have helped him..."

Haruhi stared at him with a ghostly expression, and said, "It was just praise, that person was going easy on you Tamaki-sempai... BUT SINCE I CAME, I WON'T GO EASY ON YOU!" Haruhi dragged Tamaki across the ground, and Tamak held his hands out to the twins, calling out "NOOOO! HELP ME!"

The twins, very alarmed, tried to defend him.

"Wa-wait Haruhi! It is too hard for milord to do the cleaning of the guest rooms in the first place!" Kaoru said.

"That's... That's right! Milord is doing his best!" Hikaru said.

"Lo-look! If this guy is a waiter, nothing will go wrong! If he is at the piano, then everything will be solved! Then he would be quite helpful, don't you think so?" they said together, holding an eternally scarred Tamaki.

"Huh?" then Haruhi turned into a demon again, and asked, "Then... Does that mean you will do the cleaning...?"

The twins yelped in fear, and quickly ran inside the building. Misuzu noticed them, and she clasped her hands together and exclaimed, "Ohh! Hikaru-kun, Kaoru-kun! Did you also come to help? It is somewhat refreshing! You're really saving me! Please start right away!" She shoved a broom and a cloth into their hands and skipped away.  
>"Ahh... It seems there are new part timers." the twins heard a voice behind them. Turning around, they saw the rest of the Host club sitting around the table next to the windows, enjoying themselves thoroughly.<p>

"Can I have another serving of tea?" Kyoya lifted his tea cup.

"For me it will be cake~" Honey said happily. Mori jut stared quietly at the twins, silently sipping his tea.  
>The twins stared dumbly at Kyoya, Honey, and Mori, and set to work. "Why did we come here in the first place?" they muttered.<p>

Haruhi walked over to the twins, remembering that she saw Atsushi sleeping in the passenger seat in the car outside, but wasn't in the penthouse. "Guys, where did Atsushi go?"

Kaoru and Hikaru gasped. "WE LEFT HIM IN THE CAR!" They abandoned their jobs and ran outside, hoping that their friend didn't sizzle up in the heat. They were in for a surprise, for the car wasn't even there. Their driver thought that Atsushi wasn't going to leave, and since his masters left, he just drove away.

"WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO!"

VvV

"Ah, so you're Misuzu-san? Hello, my name is Nawamura Atsushi. Nice to meet you," Atsushi said charismatically, bowing deeply. He was on the highway by the time the twins contacted their driver and told him to drop Atsushi off. Atsushi was unhappy that they forgot about him, and shunned them for the past few hours.

Misuzu blushed and said, "Ah, you are very refreshing! Oh and call me Misuzu-chi!" He then clapped his hands and said, "Thank you for your hard work, boys and girl! Now it is your well deserved break!"

"Alright my fellow subjects! Fate has reunited all of us Host Club members! Let's use our break to hold the Host Club Karuizawa meeting!" Tamaki declared, completely recovered from his trauma.

The Host Club members sat around the sofa next to the window, or at least the twins did, everyone else just leaned around, listening to what Tamaki had to say.

"You say break, but the only ones who worked properly are Haruhi, Mori-sempai, and us! And I'm not talking about you Atsushi, I know you were sleeping." Hikaru said. Atsushi promptly shut his mouth.

"Besides, what is this meeting about? We haven't heard anything about it!" Kaoru asked.

"Of course! It is about the Mei-chan and Misuzu-chi's making up project! We'll do everything so that Misuz-chi can apologize to Mei-chan and without her knowing it," Tamaki declared. He pointed his finger at them and said, "From now on, everyone must cooperate! Do you understand? First, stage one, which is the "Lets secretly send to Mei-chan Misuzu-chi's flavor project! Thanks to Haruhi and I's splendid cooperation, we already have steady results!"

Hikaru muttered, "Heh, great…" Atsushi and Kaoru looked at him.

Tamaki continued without fail. "Mei-chan may not be conscious of it, but it is at the highest level! Since it is at the spirit level, she will feel nostalgic of Misuzu-chi's flavor. I can't be mistaken on it!" he added in a small voice, "Right, Haruhi? You agree, right?"

"Well, I don't know about the spirit stuff… I think it is certain that Mei-chan doesn't hate Misuzu-san in her heart. At first, I couldn't guess Mei-chan's feelings. I didn't know if they movied in the right direction, but I used Misuzu-san's recipes to cook meals and I guessed it from Mei-chan's expression."

"Hmph… so it wasn't because of Milord's project, but because of Haruhi's cooking skills…" Hikaru said.

Tamaki started feeling proud of himself, and said, "As expected my plan worked out well! From the success of stage 1, we will now melt the ice in Mei-chan's heart, also known as STAGE 2! The final stage! Kyoya, disguised as a ruffian will pick a fight with Mei-chan and then at this moment, Misuzu-chi will save her!"

"Good! Nice idea! We'll help!" the twins agreed with Tamaki's idea, making a thumbs up.

"May I remind you that Tamaki is a complete idiot?" Kyoya said from behind them.

"What do you mean I'm an idiot? I WANT THE RUFFIAN PLAN NO MATTER WHAT!"

"But, Tama-chan, where will we perform this kind of plan~?" Honey asked curiously.

"Good question, Honey-sempai! There is a shrine festival in Haruhi's neighborhood next week. There was a time when Misuzu-chi took Mei-chan at this festival when she was 2 years old. By bringing her there, she will remember old memories!"

"Uh, Suoh-sempai… I don't think anyone can remember a memory that long ago…" Atsushi said.

"Then we must bet on the waking of the spirit level! With spirit level activated…. HAHAHA! I AM SO EXCITED!"

"Spirit… Your plan depends mostly on luck…" Hikaru said, not feeling confident about Tamaki's plan.

"Kyoya-sempai, will you take on the role of the ruffian? We can do the styling!" Kaoru asked, looking as giddy as a schoolboy.

"Who would do such a thing?" Kyoya said. "The right person must be at the right place. Besides… isn't there another one who is most suitable person to take on this role?"

Everyone stared at Mori. He noticed them staring at him, and held his hands up. "That's… That's not me…"

VvV

Atsushi walked up to Mei and Haruhi with the other Host Club members. They were at the shrine festival, and he wore an emerald green kimono, specially made for him by the Hitachiin twin's mother, and he tied his blue-green hair up halfway. Beside him, the twins wore colorful kimonos, Hikaru's red and white, and Kaoru's was a royal blue and white, both of them in intricate designs. Mori wore a jinbei, which was a pitch black, and his design was hard to see, it was like there wasn't any design at all. Tamaki wore a blue-gray, striped kimono, and he blushed as he saw the girls in the beautiful yukatas. Kyoya wore a gray, white, and black kimono, and had a criss-cross pattern. Honey wore a spotted jinbei, which was white at the top, and gradually turned into a dark blue with white spots.

"Heh, so many people!"

"Oh, I smell commoner sauce!"

"I want to eat yakisoba!"

"I wonder if there are cakes~"

"Of course not!"

They talked among themselves, observing their surroundings. When Tamaki and the twins noticed Haruhi, they ran to her and cooed over her, saying, "Wahh! Haruhi is so cute in a yukata!" The other Host Club members followed them and surround Haruhi, completely forgetting about Mei.

"Hey, I'm wearing a yukata, too!" Mei protested from the side.

"Ah sorry Mei-chan!" Tamaki walked over to her and bowed. "You are beautiful today in your flower yukata on your brown skin. You are indeed a princess from the southern countries. Will you choose me as your companion for tonight, princess?"

People started staring at them, and whispered, "Amazing! He called her a princess!"

"Is she a princess?"

Mei looked around anxiously and said, "People are looking at us! I understand! I understand…! It's embarrassing!"

In the meantime, the other members hid in the alley, and Haruhi asked, "Kyoya-sempai, where is Misuzu-san?"

He replied, "We should wait a little before starting the plan. I'll be on standby at the shrine's back gate. When the signal is sent, we'll start the plan. A lot of my staff is hidden here. They are disguised as customers visiting the festival and merchants. I have already told some of the organizers of the festival the story. We don't have to worry if we cause a little disturbance."

And so they went, venturing the festival.

"Kyoya-sempai is really in high spirits," The twins whispered.

"I wonder if he is happy because there hasn't been any action for a long time," Honey wondered.

"Well, that's right. The next phase of the plan is already in action," Kyoya said mischieviously. Atsushi stared at him, a bit afraid of this happy Kyoya.

They walked around, everyone pulling Haruhi this way and that, and Atsushi noticed all the attention she got. He smiled. _Haruhi __is __like __the __Host __Club__'__s __daughter,_ he thought.

"Haruhi! The beating of the drums are this way! Lets go!" Kaoru and Hikaru called out. "You too Atsushi! Stop trailing so much!"

Atsushi and Haruhi finally caught up with them. "Fujioka-san, where is Yasamura-san going…?" Atsushi asked her.

Haruhi didn't hear him. She instead asked Kyoya, "What should we do? The plan…?"

"We won't lose sight of them, so it's alright." Kyoya faced Haruhi and said, "Besides, the one who is the most likely to persuade her is Tamaki, right?"

VvV

"Kyoya-sama, the plan has started on the C-3 point on the map!" Atsushi hear Kyoya talk on the phone with his employee.

"Got it! It is Kasanoda's turn!" Kyoya called out to the Host Club members.

"Ok! Do your best Bossa Nova-kun!" the twins called out.

Kasanoda walked up to Tamaki at the goldfish section. "Hey, you bastard! You have constantly been monopolizing the goldfishes stand! Children can't play! How much money will you give me?"

Mei gave him the demon flare of Barbies. "Ah?"

Atsushi mentally face-palmed himself. _How __could __we __forget __that __Mei __isn__'__t __your __average __teenage __girl__…_

"WHAT BUSINESS DO YOU HAVE WITH ME? RIGHT NOW, I AM IN A REAL BAD MOOD. WHY DO I HAVE TO PAY YOU MONEY? IS IT BAD IF I CATCH GOLDFISHES? WHAT IS WITH THIS SHIT?" Mei pushed up her sleeves, and advanced towards a terrified Kasanoda, who held his hands up, feebly saying, "I… I don't really…"

"HEY!" Everyone's attention was drawn towards a man with long hair. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY DAUGHTER…?"

"You too… What are you doing fish man?" Mei asked Misuzu.

A silence fell between them.

"Me… Mei-chan… I heard than a delinquent has picked up a fight with you, Mei-chan…" Misuzu stammered, a sweat drop forming on his head.

"Not really… I could have managed by myself. By the way, what about the pension? Where are the fluffy clothes?"

"Occasionally, I think it is good to be a manly father…"

"HAA? WHAT ARE YOU SAYING? IT'S TOO LATE. IF IT WAS THIS SIMPLE FOR YOU TO STOP, THEN YOU WOULDN'T HAVE DAD TO DIVORCE FROM THE BEGINNING! DID YOU KNOW I WAS FEELING LONELY?

Misuzu started tearing up, and said, "Mei-chan, I am sorr—"

"YOU LEFT MOM AND ME, TO TAKE THE PATH YOU WANTED. IT IS REALLY UNBEARABLE. SO SHOW ME THE END OF IT! THEN I'LL APPROVE OF YOUR FLUFFY MANNERS, ANYTHING…"

"Mei-chan…"

"I'll go home." Mei grabbed Haruhi's hand and pulled her along. 'You too, come with me, for being Tamaki-kun's accomplice in this whole operation. I have to hit you!"

"HUH?"

"Mei-chan…" Misuzu looked at his daughter with happy tears.

"Ah, also… Your cherry jam… I want you to send it to me next week. Don't forget, because I really like it…" Then she noticed Atsushi. She walked towards him, and pulled him by the collar of his kimono.

"Hey, hey! Let me go!"

She pulled him far away from the other Host Club members. "You know, you haven't distracted me from that night in karaoke. I still think you're a girl. And…" She stared at him with an evil glint in her eye. "I'M NOT GIVING UP ON THAT IDEA!"

"WHAT?"

* * *

><p><strong>PLEASE REVIEW! I LOVE REVIEWS! PEOPLE WHO HAVE REVIEWED: I AM NOT TALKING TO YOU! PEOPLE WHO HAVE SUBSCRIBED BUT HAVEN'T REVIEWED: A SIMPLE "AWESOME" OR "COOL" OR EVEN A "OMG DIS IS TERIBLE" WOULD HELP! I NEED TO KNOW HOW PEOPLE THINK OF MY STORY! THANK YOU<strong>


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N: **Sorry for not updating in such a long time... I meant to upload on Christmas, as a present to you guys, but no time, and I wasn't finished with the chapter. So, this is a late Christmas Present! Yay! and it's extra long! yay! at least... I think it is long... Please Enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: ONLY ATSUSHI BELONGS TO ME.

* * *

><p>"Eh? Hokkaido?" Atsushi looked blankly at Tamaki, cocking his head. "Why?"<p>

"It's almost Christmas, and the only way to celebrate Christmas is with snow!" Tamaki exclaimed.

"But Milord, we need a plane to get there. And in case you'd forgot, Haruhi doesn't have a passport," the twins said.

Tamaki froze. "She... Doesn't have a passport?" He looked at Haruhi, not believing what he was hearing. "But... But... Then how does she go on vacations?"

Haruhi opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Honey, who looked up at her with watery eyes and asked, "Haru-chan... You don't have enough money to buy a passport?"

"Don't jump to conclusions, Honey-sempai," Haruhi said.

"But we all know it's true," Hikaru mumbled.

"Ah, but I really wanted to go to Hokkaido," Kaoru whined.

"Well, it's not like you can have everything in life," Atsushi replied.

Tamaki, Honey, the twins, and Atsushi sighed, as they imagined the snow, the evergreens, and spas, as well as skiing and snowboarding in the sparkling white snow.

"Well, I knew this would happen sooner or later," Kyoya spoke up, "so that's why I already made a passport for Haruhi."

They all stared at Kyoya, who was busily typing away with one hand, the other holding a navy blue passport. "It was only ¥6596," he shrugged. "Not much."

Haruhi gasped. "That's a lot of money? You paid that much for ME?"

"Don't flatter yourself. I used the money you earned from sales."

Atsushi laughed. Haruhi grumbled something inaudible to herself.

When Tamaki finally wrapped his itsy-bitsy brain around what had happened, he cheered. "Let's go to Hokkaido!"

VvV

Atsushi looked up at the gleaming white exterior of the twin's private plane, and then yawned. It wasn't nearly spectacular as his, and didn't interest him at all.

"You have private jets?" he heard Haruhi say disbelievingly.

"Who doesn't?" Hikaru asked.

"Haruhi, stop blocking the door! You can look at the plane later! Just not now! It's freezing out here!" Kaoru's voice was nearly lost in the deafening wind, as Atsushi heard Haruhi's foot steps behind him. They walked down the hall and into the main area, where Haruhi gasped. Inside were white sofas placed around the area, with black tables in front of them, with brightly colored flowers on top of them. There was a television set for each sofa for them to watch. Atsushi found the sofas very inviting, and plopped himself into one and rested his head back.

"Is this place really a plane?" Haruhi asked.

"No, it's a tow truck," Hikaru said sarcastically.

Haruhi ignored him, and sat down into the seat next to Atsushi.

Honey walked up to them, and with a smile, he asked, "Haru-chan? Do you like it? Is it comfortable?"

"Yes, Honey-sempai. I like it very much."

Satisfied, Honey bounced off to Mori, and kicked his shoes off, sitting in a plush beige sofa.

The twins noticed Atsushi and Haruhi sitting together, and taking the seats opposite of them, Kaoru asked, "Well, Atsushi, how do you like it?"

"It's acceptable. It's rather crowded, however. Maybe you should take away some sofas, and instead place a long sofa along the side of the wall, and on the other side have two pairs of seats facing each other, having a table in between them. It would really help."

The twins ignored him however, after hearing the word "acceptable", and they were busy talking to Haruhi, telling her all about the functions of the plane, and how to get food if she was hungry and all that.

Atsushi felt immensely irritated at the twins, and he faced out the window, playing with his necklace.

After about thirty minutes, Tamaki whisked Haruhi away from the twins, worried they would be saying something inappropriate to his daughter's ears, much to the twin's dismay. Atsushi was fast asleep, snoring quietly.

"He looks so peaceful," Kaoru whispered.

"Yeah, like a little angel," Hikaru snorted.

"You know, when he's sleeping, Atsushi looks a bit like a girl."

"I bet you also think Tamaki looks smart," Hikaru said.

"I heard that!"

VvV

They soon found themselves at Kyoya's mansion, which had snow all over, most of it natural. Snow doesn't come often in Tokyo, if never, and Atsushi was amazed by its brilliance, the white, glittering snow, and dozens of icicles hanging on the ceiling.

"Well, let's not stand here in the cold. Shall we go in?" Kyoya asked the Host club, opening the colossal double doors leading to the hallway.

"Mommy! This place is awesome! Let's come here every single year!" Tamaki said excitedly, looking around.

"Milord, let's think about the present first," Hikaru said as he strolled through the doors.

"Yeah, Milord. You gotta live in now," Kaoru added.

Honey ran up to the door, then slipped on the icy surface, and would have fell face-flat onto the ground, had Mori not caught him.

"Are you okay, Mitsukuni?" he asked quietly.

"Yup! I'm fine Takashi!" Honey grinned, and brushed all the snow from his jacket before running into the door.

"That made a great picture," Kyoya mumbled as he held a digital camera that came from nowhere.

Does he have a pocket like Doraemon? He keeps getting random stuff from nowhere... Atsushi wondered.

VvV

"We want to go snowboarding!" the twins whined as they looked pleadingly at Kyoya.

"It's dark and late. Tomorrow would be a better day to start. If you go out there now, by the time you get to the skiing area, it'll be too late to do anything," Kyoya answered.

"Atsushi needs to learn how to snowboard!" Kaoru said.

"Haruhi needs to learn how to ski!" Hikaru said.

"Haruhi needs some time with her daddy in the snow!" Tamaki complained.

"Tomorrow," Kyoya said in his say-any-more-and-you-will-yourself-with-no-head voice.

Everyone had a "I'm mad" face, but didn't say anything. Instead, they sat around the living room and asked each other grumpily, "What can we do?"

"We could always play spin-the-bottle," Hikaru and Kaoru said, winking.

"NO WAY," Haruhi said.

"Let's do what commoners do when they're bored, board games!" Tamaki said excitedly as he showed them The Game of Life.

"Um, we could play the describing game," Atsushi offered.

"What's that?" Haruhi asked.

"Um, you take an environment, and connect the people in the environment to the people playing the game." Everyone stared blankly at Atsushi. "I make an example. For environment, I choose a neighborhood. Now I describe the people. I'll start with Haruhi-san. In the neighborhood, Haruhi-san is the... nerd who always is in the library."

"I'm guessing I should feel complimented," Haruhi muttered while the twins snickered.

"Honey-sempai would be the little kid across the street. Mori-sempai would be... The little kid's bodyguard."

Honey smiled and looked up at Mori. "Takashi, you're a bodyguard!" Mori just looked back at him, with the faintest trace of a smile.

"Hikaru and Kaoru, you two would be... my friends on the other side of the neighborhood. You guys would also be the kids who TP someone's house every other night."

The twins high-fived each other.

"Ootori-sempai would be... the scary, old, rich guy who never leaves his house."

"What is that supposed to mean, Atsushi?" Kyoya asked from behind him.

"Uh, it's joke, Ootori-sempai," Atsushi replied uneasily.

"What am I Atsushi-kun? What am I?" Tamaki asked excitedly.

Atsushi had to think for this one. Well he could be the handsome high school jock who everyone loves. Or he could be...

"Suoh-sempai, you are the grouchy, old grandma next door who knits all day and stuffs her cats."

Atsushi watched as Tamaki, literally, sink to the floor, and look dead, his spirit floating out of his mouth. The twins found it hilarious, however; they were laughing their heads off, and between laughs they would say something that sounded like grandma and milord and stuffed cats.

Haruhi didn't like how this game was heading, so she suggested that they decorate the living room. Everyone agreed, except for the twins, but they were overruled 2 to 5, so they grudgingly agreed.

Honey was poking Tamaki, who was still lying on the floor. "Tama-chan, Tama-chan," he said worriedly, "are you dead?"

"Tamaki-sempai, please get it together!" Haruhi yelled as she shoved his spirit back into his body.

Kyoya supplied the Host Club with a real Christmas tree; it's crisp, fresh pine smell filling up the room. Atsushi stared at everyone working, very surprised at how diligent they were.

"Oi! Atsushi! Help me place this... This... Whatever you call this!" Kaoru called from the other side of the room. He was perched on a ladder, one hand pinning up a piece of Christmas garland, the other holding hooks as he tried to hang the garland.

"Kaoru! Just glue the hooks on the wall first! Then, hang the garland afterwards!" Atsushi called back.

"What? But, I can't get down from the ladder!"

Atsushi groaned. He was starting to think that Christmas was starting to cloud Kaoru's common sense. Walking over to Kaoru, he gripped the garland and hooks.

After 30 minutes of fighting, hissing, and scratching, Atsushi and Kaoru finally got the Christmas garland hung across the window.

The room was bright, multicolor Christmas lights wrapped around the tree, the ornaments sparkling. A whimsical beaded snowflake tree topper sat on the very tip of the tree (thanks to Haruhi's and Tamaki's help that lasted about one hour; 45 minutes of it spent by arguing and the stepping of shoulders). A mechanical toy train sat on an embroidered red tree rug.

Atsushi had found a chimney hidden into the wall, where each one of the Host Club members pinned up their red, green, and white stockings. Honey, Kaoru, and Hikaru nearly burned theirs while hanging it up by almost dropping into the fire.

The living room was stunning, with bright lights all around, with a tree at the center of the room with ornaments hanging upon it. The stockings were dangling on hooks above the fireplace, with one badly burned at the heel.

"It's beautiful," Haruhi breathed.

"A symbol of our hard work," Hikaru agreed.

"Let's sleep, now that we finished decorating," Atsushi suggested.

"Good idea, Atsushi! Okay, everyone, GOOD NIGHT!" Tamaki yelled.

"Good night," everyone echoed, and they all walked up the stairs and went into their respective rooms.

VvV

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!"

Atsushi, surprised, fell off the bed. Groaning and gripping where his head met the floor, he looked up and saw the twins smiling evilly at him. "Are you ready?" they asked evilly, cracking their knuckles.

VvV

"NONONONONONO!" Atsushi pushed away the twins. "I'm not going to wear that. Not even if I die!" He held up earmuffs and mittens that the twins got for him, which had lace and were a baby pink, and with Hello Kitty plastered onto the front.

"Why not! We got it especially for you!" Hikaru protested.

"Make Haruhi wear it!"

"We did try but... She nearly killed us..." They sat there remembering the moment of near death.

"Fine, we'll give it to milord instead," the twins said dejectedly as they headed out f the room and down the stairs.

"Thank you so much for thinking about me!" Tamaki said happily, jumping up and down at the sight of the mittens and earmuffs.

"Can I open my present?" Honey asked.

"Not yet," Kyoya replied. "We are going to open them after we come back from skiing.

"It's time for breakfast isn't it?" Atsushi asked after saying "Merry Christmas" to everybody.

"Is Haruhi making it for us?" Tamaki asked excitedly, jumping up and down.

"No, my cooks are making it. I didn't want anyone stressing themselves about it," Kyoya replied.

"Then why do I hear Haruhi's voice from the kitchen?" Atsushi asked.

"Haru-chan is teaching the cooks about how to make something or the other," Honey explained.

"Sounds like war inside there," Hikaru observed.

"Looks like Haruhi went into her demon mode," Kaoru said.

"Might as well bring her out so that she doesn't kill anyone," Hikaru and Kaoru said as they marched into the kitchen.

They came out with bruises, yanking Haruhi by her collar. She was protesting, saying foul words as she punched the air, her anger vibrating off the walls.

After breakfast, they walked to the ski area, gripping their skis and snowboards. Kyoya decided to try skiing, although he hated sports. Honey was going to play in the snow, with Mori watching over him. Tamaki trailed after Haruhi, who was learning how to ski, Hikaru being the teacher. Kaoru decided it was his duty to teach Atsushi how to snowboard.

"You sort of push your self across the ground... Yeah, like that!" Kaoru said enthusiastically, watching Atsushi awkwardly move across the ground towards the beginning of the hill.

"Okay when you go down you can lean back to make sure you don't speed up so much." Atsushi obediently followed Kaoru's instructions. Slowly, they went down the slope, inching further down, at a speed close to a snail's.

When they almost reached the bottom, Atsushi lost his footing, and was about to fall to the ground, when Kaoru grabbed him and pulled him close. Atsushi could feel the heat of Kaoru breath on his neck, and once he realized the situation, he quickly pushed Kaoru away. "I know you have homosexual tendencies, just don't have them with me," he muttered, turning a bright red, glaring at Kaoru. "I'm going to take a break." He headed towards Kyoya, was sipping something out of a cup at a table, watching over Honey.

"I saw your little moment," Kyoya said.

"And hello to you, too," Atsushi mumbled. "And it wasn't a moment. It was sort of an accident."

"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone, and unluckily for me, I didn't have my camera."

"Yay," Atsushi said drearily. He propped his head up with his hand, and started watching the sky absentmindedly.

VvV

They came back after it was starting to become dark, and Atsushi avoided Kaoru the whole time.

"Can I open my presents now?" Honey asked the minute he walked into the mansion.

"After dinner, Honey-sempai," Kyoya said.

"BUTBUTBUTBUT-"

"Mitsukuni. You have to wait," Mori said quietly. Sniffing, Honey nodded as he wiped away his tears.

VvV

"Okay! This is for you! And you, and you, and you!" Tamaki said excitedly, handing his presents out.

"Yay it's… Socks..." Kaoru and Hikaru held up a pair of mismatched socks.

"And one of the socks is long then the other," Kaoru muttered.

"What is wrong with this sock? The heel is long than this one, and it's a different color!" Hikaru criticized.

"So is mine," said Atsushi.

"And mine," Honey said. Mori just looked at his wordlessly.

"Tamaki-sempai... What is with these socks?" Haruhi asked.

"Well... I heard that commoners are too poor to buy their own presents, so they give out homemade presents. So, I knitted socks for everyone," Tamaki explained.

"Well... I guess this is pretty good for a first try," Atsushi said.

"REALLY? YOU MEAN IT? THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANK-" Tamaki was cut off by the twins, when they interrupted, "Time for our presents!"

They gave everyone clothes, Haruhi's a bit revealing, Atsushi's rather boyish, and too big, Mori-sempai's too small, Honey-sempai's was for toddlers, Kyoya's a pink tuxedo, and Tamaki's a plain white t-shirt.

"This is really messed up," Atsushi said, his eyebrow twitching.

"Ah, sorry, sorry. We didn't know your sizes, and so we-" Hikaru said.

"Just bought something that we though would fit," Kyoya finished.

Haruhi gave everyone a handmade scarf and mittens.

"It would go well with my socks!" Tamaki exclaimed.

"Haruhi's present is prettier than yours, milord," the twins said. Tamaki hid in his emo corner.

Honey gave everyone treats, and a coupon for the bakery. Kyoya gave everyone a calculator, and a book that was so complicated that everyone just put it aside. Mori gave everyone a self-defense and first aid kit, probably only preparing for the worst.

"What are going to give us, Atsushi?" everyone asked him.

"Uh... This." Atsushi handed everyone an envelope, like Kyoya's present, along with a box.

"Can we open it, Atsu-kun?" Honey asked.

"Yes, you can. And when did you start calling me Atsu-kun?"

"I thought that Atsu-chan too girly for someone like you," Honey replied with a smile.

Inside Haruhi's envelope was a gift card for a clothing store. Tamaki's was a coupon that can be used inside a market. Kyoya's was a gift card for a cd store, which was centered on jazz music. Honey got a gift card for a toy store. Mori got an invitation for a kendo competition. The twins looked inside theirs', expecting a coupon, but instead found a picture of the themselves and Atsushi, each of them wearing their school uniform.

"Atsushi, what is this?" Kaoru asked.

"I decided that a coupon or gift card wasn't enough for you guys. You guys really helped me adjust to school, since it was my first time in years. I wanted to show my appreciation, but I couldn't think of anything. So I decided to give you guys a picture of us, a memory of our happiness, and to me it represents my appreciation and thankfulness."

The twins looked back at the picture. All of them were grinning, and were in front of the school, doing peace signs and surrounding Atsushi. It reminded them of their days before the Host club, and looking up at Atsushi, they smirked and said, "Well that's touching."

Atsushi started laughing and retorted, "It's better than your oversized clothes!"

"You'll grow into it, just put on a little fat," Kaoru said.

"No thank you, I'll pass."

"It's getting late. Shall we go sleep?" Kyoya asked the members. Everyone nodded sleepily. Dragging themselves up the stairs, they each muttered a good night, and went into their rooms.

Atsushi couldn't sleep. Staring at the ceiling in complete darkness, he decided to go outside. Tip-toeing down the stairs, he walked out to the back porch and stared at the sky. There were thousands of stars, which twinkled and blinked at the crescent moon.

"You should be sleeping." Atsushi turned around, and saw Kaoru smirking at him from behind.

"Oh, it's just you," Atsushi said, relieved and disinterested.

"Hey, don't say that." Kaoru walked up and stood next to Atsushi, hands crossed over his chest.

"What are you doing out here?" Atsushi asked.

"That's what I should be asking you," Kaoru muttered, then said, "I saw you walk out from my window. I was wondering what you were doing."

"I see."

They stood in silence, unsure of what to say. Then, Atsushi said, "When I was young, I learned about the constellations. I used to wonder about the stars, and wanted to be an astronomer. Of course, it's impossible now that I am the heir to the company, but I haven't forgotten about them." He pointed to the left, and said, "That's Castor and Pollux. They were twins, one a mortal, and one an immortal child of god. When Castor and Pollux went to war, they fell in battle, and Castor went to the Underworld, while Pollux went to Olympus. But they missed each other terribly, and in the end, Pollux gave Castor half his immortality and they lived together, sometimes in the Underworld, sometimes in Olympus."

"That sounds interesting," Kaoru said, impressed. Atsushi smiled, pleased, and continued. "Under them is Orion. He was the son of Poseidon, a hunter and a friend of the goddess, Artemis. He died because of a scorpion's sting, sent by Apollo, who was jealous, for Artemis favored Orion, and she was a man-hater."

Kaoru chuckled. Atsushi wondered if Kaoru forgot what happened earlier that day, the awkward moment at the bottom of the hill.

Together, they talked about the sky and the constellations until Atsushi nearly fainted on the floor from exhaustion, and with a feeble "good night" he went up to his room.

VvV

"I don't want to go!" Tamaki whined as he packed his things into the limousine.

"Too late, Tamaki-sempai. Everything is packed and our plane is waiting for us," Haruhi said.

"But still! We haven't experienced the snow enough! We didn't even make a snowwomen!"

"We made a snowman," Kaoru said.

"That doesn't count. Snowwomen have to be made at a place where there's snow!" Tamaki whined.

"We could always leave your here if you want," Kyoya offered.

"Mommy! Don't tell me you're on their side!"

"Good bye!" Atsushi said from inside the limousine, and everyone repeated after him, all of them already inside, too. They didn't listen at all to Tamaki's cries of protest and sadness, and started driving away, with Tamaki yelling and running after them. 

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><p><strong>¥6596 is approximately $85 or £54.<strong>


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N**: As an apology for not updating quickly, I have now another chapter for you! Yay! Please enjoy this one.

**Disclaimer**: Don't own anyone except Atsushi/Aoi.

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><p>The host club members sat around in the Third Music Room, unsure of what to do. It was almost winter break, and it was snowing, but none of them felt like going outside.<p>

"I'm bored," Hikaru complained.

"There's nothing to do here," Kaoru muttered.

Honey was munching on a chocolate-chip cookie messily, Takashi reached up every once in a while to get rid of the crumbs on his face.

"Astu-chan, can we go to your house?" Honey asked.

Atsushi looked away from the window he was facing and asked, "Why?"

Hikaru and Kaoru placed their hands on Atsushi's shoulders and said, "Well, you live in the busier parts of Tokyo right? We want to see what it's like around the commoner's tourist attractions."

Haruhi's eyebrows twitched, and she muttered, "Commoner tourist attractions you say?"

Tamaki jumped up from his chair and said excitedly, "This shall be an adventure! Let's go!"  
>Kyoya continued typing in his laptop, and said, "Well, Atsushi-san didn't say yes, so we can't go to his house yet."<p>

Tamaki, the twins, and Honey stared at Atsushi, their puppy eyes pleading Atsushi to say yes.

"Well... I guess it's okay but first we'll have to stop by-"

Tamaki, the twins, and Honey cheered; completely ignoring everything else Atsushi had to say.

"They won't forget it you know. They might use this as blackmail," Haruhi mumbled to Atsushi.

"I'm already blackmailed by them. I have nothing to lose," Atsushi replied.

"Well then, it's decided! We're going to Atsushi's house!" Tamaki declared.

VvV

"Why are we at a commoner's bakery?"

It was bustling with people, and so when Hikaru said that loudly, everyone stared at him strangely before going back to their business.

Atsushi reached for the bread and answered, "Well, I don't have breakfast tomorrow, so I thought I would buy some bread." He smiled and added, "You guys can buy some cake if you want."

Honey was one step ahead of him, and right when Atsushi finished that sentence, Honey came up to him and said, "Atsu-chan, I already chose the cakes I wanted."

Atsushi looked up and gasped. "Honey-sempai... You want a FIVE LAYERED CAKE?"

"No, not that one, I want this one," Honey said, pointing towards a little box at the cashier. Atsushi sighed, relieved, only to have Tamaki want to have the five layered cake.

"There's no way that's happening Suoh-sempai."

VvV

Everyone looked up at the tall apartment.

"Wow... Are you saying Atsushi owns all those rooms?" The Hitachiin twins asked.

Kyoya pushed back his glasses and said, "No, like Haruhi, he only owns one of them."

"Oh, so he lives in a commoner apartment?"

"Well it's much nicer than mine," Haruhi said, her neck stretching as much as she can so she can see the top of the apartment.

"Oh, so commoners live here too?" Tamaki asked, becoming extremely interested.

"Oh, shut up," Atsushi muttered as he opened the entrance door to the building.

"Wow! There's even an elevator!" they all exclaimed. They all ran towards it.

"Don't run! Everyone in the building will hear you!"

"ATSUSHI HURRY UP AND COME OVER!"

"They didn't even listen to me..." Atsushi sighed and ran towards them as quietly as he could.

VvV

"I won't have enough slippers for everyone, and I don't really want people walking with their shoes inside, so you guys will have to walk barefoot," Atsushi said while opening his front door.

Everyone walked inside and saw mirrors on either side of them.

"Those are the cabinets for your shoes, but you can just place them at the edge over there," Atsushi explained.

They looked straight ahead. There was a wall with a huge painting hung across it. The floors were marble, unlike Haruhi's tatami mats. Atsushi ushered them inside. Everyone gasped in surprise. The apartment had a huge room, one which was divided into a living room and a dining room. One either side of the room were huge windows that took up almost the whole wall. There was a brown corner sofa, and glass table with a cherry red rotary phone sitting on it. In front was a brown coffee table that had a vase with numerous flowers inside it. There was a flat screen TV facing the sofa, and a tall lamp standing next to it. It gave the room an airy feel, and made it look bigger than it actually was. The dining room was a whole 'nother story. There was an oak dining table that looked out of place in the white room. And stranger yet, there was only one chair that faced the window. Luckily, the kitchen made up for terrible dining room. There was a kitchen island with marble counter and a sink, a dish washer, and an electric stove. Behind it were cabinets made of clear blue glass and two stainless steel refrigerators. There were four rooms and a washing machine hidden behind a door that looked like a wall; the only way you could tell it was a door was by the handles sticking out.

Haruhi's jaw fell open. This was an apartment?

"It's so bright! My eyes!" the twins wailed as they covered their eyes and sank into the ground.

"Sorry, I haven't really changed anything since I moved here, so it going to be a little plain," Atsushi apologized.

He walked into the kitchen and placed the bread on the counter. "Do you want to start eating?"  
>"Yes!"<p>

Everyone walked towards the sofa and plopped down. Atsushi carefully took out the cakes and placed them on a tray, which he brought over to his guests.

"I'm afraid I don't really know how to prepare tea, but I do have some juice and milk," Atsushi said.

"Just make Haruhi do it for you," Hikaru said, spitting out crumbs into Haruhi's face.

"Hikaru! That's disgusting! And why do I have to do it?" Haruhi grabbed a napkin and quickly wiped the crumbs of her face.

"No it's okay Fujioka-san, I'll just give everyone a glass of milk." Atsushi stood up and walked towards the refrigerator. "Now let's see... Did this expire yet... Yes... Then how about this one... Yes... How about this one..." Atsushi mumbled to himself as he picked up milk carton after milk carton.

"Atsushi, do you live alone?" Kyoya asked from the living room.

Atsushi stiffened and nearly dropped the milk carton he was holding. "What makes you think that?"

"Well, the slippers, there was only one for you, but there weren't any for your parents. And the table over there. There's only one chair. Now, I myself do not eat with my parents, but they eat with their business partners a lot, so there's always more than one chair in our dining room. And lastly, the apartment itself. Why do live in an apartment? Is it because your father can't work with distractions? Does he need his space? If so, he could have just sent you to a different mansion," he took a breath and continued, "there were rumors that the owner of Nawamura Corporations sent away his son to live by himself. I'm guessing those rumors are true,"

Honey looked sadly at Atsushi as he said, "Poor Atsu-chan. Too live alone with no parents."

"Yeah, you don't even have a twin." Hikaru said.

Haruhi thought sadly, what's worse than having a parent die, is having a parent not want you.

"I don't need your pity," Atsushi growled. "This is my life. So stay out of it." he covered his face with his hair, and said quietly, "Please go. I will clean everything up. Just... Just go."

Tamaki understood how he was feeling completely. He stood up and said, "Thank you for having us," he faced the rest of the Host Club, "let's go."

Atsushi didn't move from where he was standing until he heard the door click. Walking towards the coffee table, he slowly picked up the tiny cake wrappers. Then, Aoi cried.


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N**: Hello! Sorry for not uploading for so long. I was meaning to, but had a bad case of writer's block -_-'. So here's a chapter for you guys! Hope you like it!

**Disclaimer**: This is the last one for the whole story. It's too much work :P. DON'T OWN ANYONE EXCEPT MY CHARACTERS.

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><p>Atsushi headed towards the place he dreaded so much. The place filled with the stuffiness of hot headed employees, where he was expected to be when he grew older. Earlier that morning, his father asked for a visit, telling him that there was someone important he needed to meet. Atsushi felt like staying home and eating all the junk food he could find, or running outside, feeling the sharp cold wind on his face. But instead, he was dressed in a gray pinstripe suit, in a limousine sent by his father, to wherever his father ordered the driver to go.<p>

Feeling numb, Atsushi stared out the window, not focusing on particularly anything. His eyes scanned over the numerous green trees, whitewashed buildings, and busy people, going about their business. Often, Atsushi wished he was one of those people, without the many worries and burdens put upon his shoulders.

After a long drive while watching the scenery go by, Atsushi finally arrived at his destination: his father's building. A seventy floor tall building with gleaming glass walls shaped as a clover. It was home to many of the employees, with their own rooms on their respective floors, for the work that Atsushi's father gave often piled a somewhat never ending pile of work.

The driver opened up his window, and punched in a number into a keypad, and received an eye scan, before entering the building parking lot. Atsushi sighed, exasperated at his father's extreme security. What's the point of being so paranoid? He thought. Just hire some security men that were trained by the Mitsukuni family.

Slowly the car came to a stop, and the driver quickly came out of the car and opened the door for Atsushi. His slipped on his sunglasses, straightened out his suit, and hoping he looked respectable, he slipped out of the car. Walking towards the car, he breathing in and out deeply, feeling nervous, for this was the first time he was going to see his father in three years.

VvV

"Where have you been?" Those were the first words Atsushi's father said to him when Atsushi saw the big, bulky built, man. Atsushi bowed down respectfully, and said, "I'm sorry, father."

His father sniffed. "Our guest is waiting. You better hurry." He started walking towards a wall at the far end of the room, with Atsushi trailing behind him. When they reached the door, Atsushi's father turned around abruptly, and looked over Atsushi with a quick look, and with an approving look, he whispered, "Good choice in clothes, Aoi." They he opened the door with a sweeping motion, and they walked into the bright room.

"I'm sorry for making you wait, Masaru-san," Atsushi's father said as he sat down in the seat opposite from Masaru.

"I don't mind, Jun-san. It is nice seeing your son for the first time," Masaru said, smiling warmly at Atsushi.

Atsushi bowed in response, and introduced himself. "Hello, my name is Nawamura Atsushi. Nice to meet you."

"It's my pleasure."

Afterwards, the two men started talking business, and Atsushi tried to look interested, but had a hard time focusing, for Masaru looked strangely similar to someone he knew. Specifically, two spiky haired, red headed twins.

Masaru smiled, and said, "Atsushi-kun, I have a party coming up, and I would like to invite you. It is to celebrate the new partnership between your father and I. My children and other teenagers from your school, Ouran, are coming. Is it possible for you to come?"

Atsushi opened his mouth to refuse, when his father gave him a venomous look, and his eyes were giving a silent message, "Don't you dare refuse."

"N-yea. I mean, of course I would come, Masaru-san," Atsushi said with a shaky voice, glancing up at his father every few seconds.

"Excellent! It is going to be in two weeks. Lets enjoy this new partnership!"

Masaru started walking out of the room, and on impulse, Atsushi yelled out, "What is your last name, Masaru-san?"

He smiled, and said, "Why, it's Hitachiin." He grinned even wider. "My sons talk about you all the time, Atsushi-kun." He glided out of the room, and closed the door with a muffled sound. Once Masaru was out the sound range, Atsushi's father slapped him. Atsushi felt a burning sensation on his cheek, and glared at his father. "What was that for?"

"Don't talk when you aren't being asked anything. It is unrespectful," Jun said with a annoyed tone.

"There was no need to hit me on the face, you old man," Atsushi said angrily. "That's how you always been, huh, old man!" He then punched him hard on the face, with all his strength, and ran out the door, pushing through everyone in his way. He loosened his tie, and ran with all his might, tears forming in his eyes as he ran down the stairs, all the way down to the lobby, where he just started running, and not paying attention to where he was going. Coincidently, he ended up at his apartment, where he rapidly went up to his floor, quickly opened the door, and sprinted to his room. Yanking off his tie, he dressed into sweats and a t-shirt, and fell into his bed.

VvV

The following two hours were filled with missed phone calls from Aoi's father, many angry text messages, and impatient voice messages. She took out the battery of her rotary phone and threw her cell phone against the wall. Aoi didn't want anything to do with the filthy cockroach that managed to pass as her father. Her rage was burning inside her, and she nearly destroyed her room, throwing things across the floor, and sulking, feeling that nobody would understand her. Then she felt so exhausted, and slept, amidst the broken remains of what used to be her alarm clock.

When she woke up, Aoi felt that there was a chance that her email was going to be filled with thousands of angry messages from her father. Sighing, she got up from the bed and reluctantly turned on the computer. She opened her email, and sure enough, there were over fifty emails from her father, and starting deleting them, one by one. Aoi almost deleted the last one, until she saw that it was about the party. She opened it, and read the following:

_The party is next week, Wednesday. You have no choice but to go to the party, or else you will find yourself on the streets. _

_ Jun_

Aoi rolled her eyes at her father's empty threat. She knew that he wouldn't harm her, not after what her mother's told him. However, she knew that attending the party would enhance her father's company's image. And Aoi knew that her company needed a better image. Plus, there was a chance that she would see the Host Club, and atone for her attitude when they came to her house. She knew her decision was final.

She quickly wrote a response to her father: _Yes_.


	14. Chapter 13

HEYY GUYS! It has been soooo long since I last uploaded... I lost motivation/interest for a really long time. Just a few days ago I decided to pick it back up again, and so here's a new chapter! Hope you enjoy it, and Happy New Year!

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><p>It was early in the morning, a few days before the party. Aoi decided to go for a run, feeling oddly cramped and stuffy in her huge apartment. Wearing a turtleneck under a navy tracksuit and a baseball cap, she grabbed a bottle of water, and slipped on a pair of tennis shoes. It was January, so it was a little chilly, about 55 degrees Fahrenheit, at most. After debating whether or not she should bring an extra jacket, Aoi decided it was just going to be extra weight, and left.<p>

After stretching and warming up, Aoi started on her run, feeling the cold breeze sting her cheeks. _Pit. Pat. Pit. Pat. _The streets were particularly nice early in the morning when the sun has barely risen, and the world is waking up. There wasn't any sound of traffic, only birds chirping in the trees. This is Aoi's favorite time of the day, a time where she can be alone with her thoughts, feeling all of her senses blur into one. Every once in a while a lone car would drive by, or a person would walk past her, going on with their business.

She started to pick up her pace, concentrating on her breathing, making it as even as she could. It helped her focus, to connect her with her environment. _Scrunch. Scrunch. _

Lately, Aoi has been thinking about the past, remembering little snippets of what her life used to be. She remembered how running became her life when she started living alone, how running was just an excuse to escape reality. She remembered the difficulties as distinctly as she remembered the freedom she felt, as though there were no boundaries to contain her.

At this moment, Aoi was feeling like a caged animal gone free, until she heard:

"Where are you going at this time of day, Aoi-kun?"

Aoi looked up, and found someone she really didn't want to see at that moment. Brown hair, brown eyes. His clothes were awfully plain, but he made up for it with his boyish looks. Nonetheless, he was on her lists. She looked at him, and said with a cold tone, "You grew a little, didn't you shortie?"

He laughed, and said, "Oi, oi, I was always taller than you. Don't start lies like that. It hurts."

She glared at him, and started on her way again, irritated he ruined her moment. He started to run next to her, his face contorting into a pout.

"Hey, Aoi-kun. Aoi-kun," he repeated more insistently. He grinned suddenly, and grabbed her arm, and made her face him. "Aoi-kun. That's no way to greet your fiancé, is it?" He licked his lips, and leaned forward—to get punched in the face by Aoi.

"Stay away from me, Ichirou!" Aoi said angrily. She picked up her pace, trying to get away from him. However, Murakami Ichirou was the only person who managed to beat her in every single race they ever had, whether it be a competition, or a little makeshift race. And it was never a close race either; he would be two seconds, even three seconds ahead of her.

Ichirou caught up with her easily, and grabbed her by her shoulders, and held her close. Aoi squirmed in his grasp, kicking him and elbowing him as hard as she could. She could hear him yelp in pain, but he didn't let go; instead his grip tightened.

"Aoi-kun~" he whined. "Don't run away from me." He whispered huskily into her ear, "There could be some consequences…" He snuggled his face into her shoulder, and whispered, "You should grow out your hair. You look a lot better that way."

Aoi rolled her eyes, and responded with a final kick in the shin. Ichirou gasped and let go, and then she quickly pushed him aside.

"Why are you being so persistent? You usually want nothing to do with me," Aoi asked, irritated. "Did my father bribe you again?"

"Eh? How did you know?"

"Well, you are acting very out of character. Anyway, what did he promise this time?" Aoi asked.

"Um, he said I didn't have to go to the party." Ichirou chuckled nervously, looking down at the ground sheepishly. Then, as if to save the conversation, he hurriedly said, "He's a lot more anxious than usual. Honestly, I think he's getting desperate. You know, about _that_," Ichirou stuck his hands in his pockets, and looked at her. "Do you know anything about it?"

She growled, "I don't associate myself with him." She turned around, and without so much as a good bye, she started running again. This time, Ichirou didn't try to stop her.

No, instead he yelled, "Can I sleep with you later?!"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

VvV

Aoi gritted her teeth. She hated being within so close proximity with Ichirou. He was a living reminder of her past, of decisions being made for her. She hated him. She hated how he could so easily follow directions; how he didn't—no couldn't—oppose or rebel. From what he's told her, he disliked the idea of marrying her as much as she did; he had many secret girlfriends, and he probably wasn't a virgin.

_No. Cool down, Aoi. Cool down. Keep it together._

Biting down on her lip, she started to sprint, completely disconnecting herself from her environment, only focusing on her breathing.

Soon she found herself breathing hard; looking around, she realized she was near a park. More specifically, the park next to Haruhi's apartment.

She walked forward, searching around for her apartment, and at the same time trying to remember what Haruhi's apartment even looked like. Aoi concentrated so hard in trying to find Haruhi's living spaces that she didn't notice someone come up behind her.

"Atsushi? I mean, Aoi?" someone asked.

"HARUHI!" Aoi jumped back in surprise, and asked, "What are you doing so early in the morning?"

"That's what I should be asking you."

"Uh, I was running. You know, exercise," Aoi stammered. Suddenly an idea hit her, and she said, "Uh, you know, uh, there's a party coming up in a few days."

"Oh yeah, I heard from Tamaki about it." Haruhi cocked her head. "Are you going?"

"Er, yeah. Um, I just wanted to ask if you wanted to go with me. You can wear a dress if you want. I just want someone normal to be there. If there isn't I might suffocate."

"Actually, I'm kind of busy—"

"Please, Haruhi. For me?" Aoi pleaded, as she sank to the floor on her knees.

Haruhi sighed, then smiled and replied, "Alright, why not?"

Aoi jumped up and cheered. She quickly hugged her, and said, "I give you a call! It's this Saturday! I'll come pick you up."  
>"Okay, see you then," Haruhi said, waving as she walked towards her apartment.<p>

Aoi smiled, relieved that Haruhi agreed to go to the party. She was going to be the only one there who knew her true gender, and if anything happened she could rely on Haruhi to do the job.

"Now, how about a haircut…"

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><p>Do you like the new character? Leave a comment!<p> 


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